The health care industry is full of acronyms. Some are easier to identify than others. Some acronyms are so familiar that no one remembers what it stands for. On this page we have put together an alphabetical list of acronyms to help you as member of the health care industry keep the acronyms clear.
Please use the letter index below to assist you in finding definitions for acronyms and abbreviations.
| AAHP | Association of Allied Health Professionals | A |
| AAP | Attendance Awareness Program | OHMS |
| ABI | Acquired Brain Injury | D |
| ACAATO | Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology | A |
| ACAHO | Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations | A |
| ACCP | Association of Casualty Care Personnel | A |
| ACGIH | American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists | O |
| ACH | Acute Care Hospitals | HC |
| ACHE | American College of Health Executives | C |
| ACMOH | Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health | G |
| ACPEWC | Actual Cost Per Equivalent Weighted Case | BF |
| ACTH | Association of Canadian Teaching Hospitals | A |
| ACW | Ambulatory Care Weights | BF |
| ADM | Assistant Deputy Minister | G |
| ADPCO | Association of Discharge Planners Coordinators of Ontario | A |
| AFA | Alternative Financing Arrangements | BF |
| AFP | Alternate Financing and Procurement | BF |
| AFP’s | Alternative Funding Plans | HC |
| AHA | Alberta Hospital Association | A |
| AHA | American Hospital Association | A |
| AHHRMO | Association of Healthcare Human Resources Managers of Ontario | A |
| AHQ | Association of the Hospitals of Quebec | A |
| AHSCs | Academic Health Science Centres | HC |
| ALC | Alternate Level Care | HC |
| ALOS | Acute Length of Stay | HC |
| ALPHA | Association of Local Public Health Agencies | A |
| AMA | American Medical Association | A |
| AMO | Association of Municipalities of Ontario | A |
| AODA | Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act | L |
| AOHC | Association of Ontario Health Centres | A |
| APP | Alternate Payment Plan | BF |
| ASHRAE | American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers | O |
| CADTH | Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health | O |
| CAEP | Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians | A |
| CAER | Community Awareness Emergency Response | HC |
| CAHO | Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario (Formerly OCOTH) | O |
| CAMH | Centre for Addiction and Mental Health | O |
| CAW | Canadian Auto Workers Union | U |
| CBRN | Chemical/Bio/Radiological/Nuclear | HC |
| CCAC | Community Care Access Centre | O |
| CCC | Complex Continuing Care | HC |
| CCEP | Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness | O |
| CCH | Chronic Care Hospitals | HC |
| CCHSA | Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation | O |
| CCHSE | Canadian College of Health Service Executives | C |
| CCO | Cancer Care Ontario | O |
| CDA | Canadian Diabetic Association | A |
| CDC | Center for Disease Control (Atlanta) | G |
| CEEP | Centre of Excellence in Emergency Preparedness | O |
| CGSB | Canadian General Standards Board (Gov. of Canada) | G |
| CHA | Canadian Healthcare Association | A |
| CHAC | Catholic Health Association of Canada | A |
| CHC | Community Health Centre | HC |
| CHCO | Catholic Health Corporation of Ontario | O |
| CHES | Canadian Healthcare Engineering Society | O |
| CHI | Canada Health Infoway (MOHLTC Lab) | G |
| CHIMA | Canadian Health Information Management Association | A |
| CHO | Comprehensive Health Organization | HC |
| CHSC | Certified Health & Safety Consultant | OHMS |
| CICA | Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants: Standards of reporting health care and post-employment benefits on financial statements | O |
| CIH | Certified Industrial Hygienist (USA) | OHMS |
| CIHI | Canadian Institute for Health Information | O |
| CMA | Canadian Medical Association | A |
| CMC | Canadian Management Centre (Partner for on-line learning) | O |
| CMLTO | College of Medical Laboratory Technologist of Ontario | C |
| CMOH | Chief Medical Officer of Health | G |
| CMRTO | College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario | C |
| CNO | College of Nurses of Ontario | C |
| COACH | Canada's Health Informatics Association
OLD - Canadian Organization for the Advancement of Computers in Health | A |
| COFM | Council of Ontario Faculties of Medicine | O |
| COS | Chief of Staff | HC |
| COU | Council of Ontario Universities | O |
| COUPN | Council of Ontario University Programs in Nursing | O |
| CPD | Collaborative Patient-Centered Care | HC |
| CPSI | Canadian Patient Safety Institute | O |
| CPSO | College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario | C |
| CQI | Continuous Quality Improvement | BF |
| CRSP | Canadian Registered Safety Professionals | OHMS |
| CSHP | Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists | A |
| CSSE | Canadian Society of Safety Engineering | O |
| CTAS | Canadian Triage Acuity Scale | HC |
| CUOE | Canadian Union of Operating Engineers | U |
| CUPE | Canadian Union of Public Employees | U |
| EAP | Employee Assistance Program | OHMS |
| ECO | Emergency Coordination Centre | HC |
| ECPEWC | Expected Cost Per Equivalent Weighted Case | BF |
| EDCDP | Emergency Department Coverage Demonstration Program | HC |
| ED-GIM | Emergency Department – General Internal Medicine | HC |
| EDOC | Emergency Department Overcrowding Committee | OHAC |
| EEGAP | Expert Employee Group Advisory Panel | OHAC |
| EHC | Extended Health Coverage | OHMS |
| EHR | Electronic Health Record | HC |
| ELD CAP Beds | “Elderly Capital Assistance Program” Beds | HC |
| EMAT | Emergency Medical Assistance Team | HC |
| EMS | Emergency Medical Services | HC |
| EMU | Emergency Management Unit | HC |
| EOC | Emergency Operations Centre (TEOC- Toronto Emergency Operations) | HC |
| ESA | Employment Standards Act | L |
| H5N1 | Flu strain affecting poultry stocks | D |
| HAAO | Hospital Auxiliaries Association of Ontario | A |
| HAAs | Hospital Accountability Agreements | HC |
| HAPS | Hospital Annual Planning Submissions | HC |
| Hazmat | Hazardous Materials | HC |
| HCA | Hospital Corporations of America | A |
| HCHSA | Health Care Health and Safety Association – present name is Ontario Safety Association for Community and Healthcare | OHMS |
| HCOHSA | Health Care Occupational Health and Safety Association | OHMS |
| HCPRA | Health Care Public Relations Association Canada | A |
| HCRSA | Hospital Community Respiratory Services Alliance | HC |
| HCW | Health Care Workers | HC |
| HEICS | The Hospital Emergency Incident Command System | HC |
| HEMC | Health Emergency Management Committee | OHAC |
| HERS | Hospital Employee Relations Services | OHAD |
| HERT | Hospital Emergency Response Training | HC |
| HETF | Hospital Efficiency Task Force | G |
| HFA | Home for the Aged | HC |
| HHES | Healthy Hospital Employee Survey | OHMS |
| HHI | Healthy Hospital Initiative | OHMS |
| HHR | Health Human Resources | HC |
| HIMSS | Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society | O |
| HIROC | Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada | OHMS |
| HIS | Hospital Information System | BF |
| HLDAA | Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act | L |
| HMRI | Hospital Medical Records Institute | O |
| HOCC | Hospital On-Call Coverage (for physicians) | HC |
| HOCFA | Hospital On-Call Funding Agreement | HC |
| HOODIP | Hospitals of Ontario Disability Insurance Plan | OMHS |
| HOOGLIP | Hospitals of Ontario Group Life Insurance Plan | OHMS |
| HOOPP | Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan | O |
| HOOVLIP | Hospitals of Ontario Voluntary Life Insurance Plan | OHMS |
| HPARB | Health Professions Appeal and Review Board | L |
| HPPA | Health Protection and Promotion Act | L |
| HPRAC | Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council | G |
| HRDC | Human Resources Development Canada | G |
| HRT | Health Results Team | HC |
| HSAC | Health & Safety Advisory Committee | OHAC |
| HSIA | Health Systems Improvement Act | L |
| HSMR | Hospital Standardized Mortality Rate | HC |
| HSO | Health Service Organization | HC |
| IAA | Interim Accountability Agreement | HC |
| IAPA | Industrial Accident Prevention Association | A |
| ICD-10 | International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems developed by the World Health Organization | HC |
| ICES | Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences | O |
| IHI | Institute of Healthcare Improvement | O |
| IHSP | Integrated Health Service Plan | G |
| ILI | Influenza-like Illness | D |
| IMS | Incident Management System | HC |
| IPBA | Integrated Population Based Allocation | BF |
| IPC | Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario | G |
| IPCC | Inter-professional Collaborative Care | HC |
| ISMP | Institute for Safe Medication Practices | O |
| IT | Information Technology | BF |
| MAC | Medical Advisory Committee | HC |
| MCI | Mass Casualty Incidents | HC |
| MCSCS | Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services | G |
| MIS | Management Information System | BF |
| MMWR | Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report | OHMS |
| MOHLTC | Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care | G |
| MPIR (also known as PIR) | Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Renewal | G |
| MRI | Ministry of Research and Innovation | G |
| MSD | Muskoskeletal Disorders | OHMS |
| MTCU | Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities | G |
| MTS | Medical Transport Service | HC |
| MYF | Multi-Year Funding | BF |
| OACCAC | Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres | A |
| OACRS | Ontario Association of Children’s Rehabilitation Services | A |
| OAML | Ontario Association of Medical Laboratories | A |
| OANHSS | Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes & Services for Seniors | A |
| OAOA | Ontario Ambulance Operators Association | A |
| OAR | Ontario Association of Radiologists | A |
| OARNA | Ontario Association of Registered Nursing Assistants | A |
| OCCI | Ontario Case Costing Initiative | G |
| OCDM | Ontario Cost Distribution Methodology | BF |
| OCFP | Ontario College of Family Physicians | C |
| OCHU | Ontario Council of Hospital Unions | U |
| OCIPEP | Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness | G |
| OCOTH (Now is called CAHO) | Ontario Council of Teaching Hospitals | O |
| OCSA | Ontario Community Support Association | A |
| OCUPRS | Ontario Council of University Programs in Rehabilitation Sciences | O |
| ODA | Ontario Dental Association | A |
| OHA | Ontario Hospital Association | A |
| OHHA | Ontario Health-care Housekeepers’ Association | A |
| OHHCPA | Ontario Home Health Care Providers’ Association | A |
| OHIMA | Ontario Health Information Management Association | A |
| OHIP | Ontario Health Insurance Plan | G |
| OHMS | Organizational Health Management Services | OHAD |
| OHPA | Ontario Health Providers Alliance | O |
| OHPIP | Ontario Health Pandemic Influenza Planning | HC |
| OHRS | Ontario Health Reporting System | HC |
| OHS | Occupational Health Services | OHMS |
| OHTAC | Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee (for hospital and community) | HC |
| OICAH | Ontario Interdisciplinary Council for Aging and Health | O |
| OLIS | Ontario Laboratories Information Systems | HC |
| OLTCA | Ontario Long Term Care Association | A |
| OMA | Ontario Medical Association | A |
| OMHRS | Ontario Mental Health Reporting System | HC |
| ONA | Ontario Nurses’ Association | U |
| ONTLA | Ontario Legislature | L |
| OPA | Ontario Pharmacists’ Association | A |
| OPS | Operation Planning Committee | OHAC |
| OPSEU | Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union | U |
| ORLSP | Ontario Regional Laboratory Services Planning | HC |
| ORNGE | Ontario’s provider of aero medical transport (formerly Ontario Air Ambulance Services Corporation) | O |
| OSACH | Ontario Safety Association for Community and Healthcare (Formerly HCHSA) | O |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USA) | OHMS |
| OWHC | Ontario Women’s Health Council | O |
| PAIRO | Professional Association of Interns and Residents of Ontario | U |
| PAVRO | Professional Administrators of Volunteer Resources of Ontario | A |
| PDST | Planning Decision Support Tool | G |
| PEP | Provincial Emergency Plan | G |
| PEP | Paper Elimination Project | OHAC |
| PHA | Public Hospitals Act | L |
| PHCC | Physician Hospital Care Committee (OHA/OMA/MOHLTC) | OHAC |
| PHHRS | Provincial Health Human Resources Strategy Unit | OHAD |
| PHHRSAG | Provincial Health Human Resources Strategic Advisory Group | OHAC |
| PHIPA | Personal Health Information Protection Act | L |
| PHRP | Physician-Hospital Relationship Project | G |
| PHRWG | Physician Hospital Relationship Working Group | OHAC |
| PIDAC | Provincial Infections Diseases Advisory Committee | G |
| PIPEDA | Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act | L |
| PIR | Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal | G |
| PISC | Pandemic Influenza Supply Chain | HC |
| PPA | Policy and Public Affairs | OHAD |
| PS&CB | Patient Safety & Clinical Best Practices | OHAD |
| PSAC | Public Service Alliance of Canada | U |
| PS Council | Patient Safety Leadership Council | OHAC |
| PSLRTA | Public Sector Labour Relations Transition Act | L |
| PTAC | Patient Transfer Authorization Centre | HC |
| RCEC | Regional Council Executive Committee | OHAC |
| RCPSC | Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada | O |
| RFP | Request for Proposal | BF |
| RFQ | Request for Qualifications | BF |
| RGHPI | OHA Reference Group on Hospital Physician Issues | OHAC |
| RHPA | Regulated Health Professions Act | L |
| RIM | Record & Information Management Committee | OHAC |
| RIW | Resource Intensity Weights | HC |
| RM | Risk Management | BF |
| RNAO | Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario | A |
| RPNAO | Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario | A |
| ROH and ROHT | Registered Occupational Hygienist (Technician) (Canada) | OHMS |
| ROMA | Rural Ontario Municipal Association | A |
| RTW | Return to Work | OHMS |
| SAA | Service Accountability Agreement | L |
| SARS | Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome | D |
| SCFEA | Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs | G |
| SEIU | Service Employees’ International Union | U |
| SEMD | Safety Engineered Medical Devices | HC |
| SEMS | Safety Engineered Medical Sharps | HC |
| SHPAG | Small Hospitals Provincial Advisory Committee | OHAC |
| SHRM | Strategic Human Resources Management | OHAD |
| SMC | Senior Management Committee | OHAC |
| SRN | Small, Rural and Northern Hospitals | HC |
| STD | Short-Term Disability | OHMS |
| STEMI Program | ST- Elevation Myocardial Infarction Program | HC |
| SUMED | Single-use medical device | HC |
| SWOT | Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats | BF |