1. Introduction to Healthcare Terminology
Chapter One
Introduction to Healthcare Terminology
Copyright © 2015 by Mosby, Inc., an imprint of Elsevier Inc.

2. Introduction to ICD-10 History of ICD WHO ICD-10-CM ICD-10-PCS
October 2014
Medical terminology matters!
I10
What is ICD? The International Classification of Diseases
Who publishes it? The World Health Organization
What is ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS? CM is the US version of ICD (10th edition) with extra detail. CM means Clinical Modification. PCS means Procedure Classification System
When will they be in use? October 2014
Why study from a med term text before learning how to code with ICD-10? To help remember the meanings of thousands of diagnoses, disorders, and procedures and the anatomy needed to accompany them
Use of I10 abbreviation. ICD10 is often abbreviated I10. Either is fine!

3. What Is Medical Terminology?
Specialized vocabulary composed of Greek and Latin word components used for communication among healthcare professionals. Essentially, a NEW language.
Medical terminology has been in use for thousands of years. Here you can see one of the first medical records. The first medical record was traced to Ancient Egypt and composed by Imhotep on the wall of an Egyption tomb. Time and technology have drastically altered the way we docoment patient information, as you can see, on the right and a current screenshot of an electronic health record.

4. Examples of Greek and Latin Derivations
lingu/o = tongue
bilingual
sublingual
Greek
gloss/o = tongue
glossary
glossitis
Most terms are from Greek and Latin and many have been used for thousands of years; let’s look at some examples.
Try to say “healthcare terminology” without moving your tongue. Kind of difficult? We need (and have needed!) our tongues to communicate. The word “language,” meaning a collection of words and rules for combining and pronouncing them for the purpose of communication, is derived from the Latin “lingua” for tongue.
Notice the first term under the Latin heading, “bilingual.” It means pertaining to two languages. Most of you already know that it refers to a person who can speak two (bi- means two) languages. The second term, “sublingual,” is a medical term. Sub- means under, and the ending –al means pertaining to. This medical term means pertaining to under the tongue.
In Greek, the word part that represents the tongue is gloss/o. Notice that the English term “glossary,” meaning an alphabetical list of terms with definitions, has its roots in a Greek term. The second term “glossitis” is a medical term meaning inflammation of the tongue. The suffix –itis is a common ending that means “inflammation.”
In the first slide, I mentioned that 90% of our terms are built from Greek and Latin word parts. See how lingu/o and gloss/o are displayed in red? Those are your first word parts. These particular word parts are word roots, and by the end of our time together, you will have learned hundreds of them. Much of what we will be exploring is the process of “decoding” terms. You will learn to recognize the word parts, recall their meanings, and use your skills to assign definitions to the terms.

5. Decodable Terms Word Parts Word Parts Word roots (ex. ling/)
Combining vowels (ex. o, i, a, e)
Word root + combining vowel = combining form (CF) (ex. lingu/o)
Suffixes (ex. –al, -ary, -itis)
Prefixes (ex. bi- and sub-)
lingu/o = tongue
gloss/o = tongue
-al = pertaining to
-ary = pertaining to
-itis = inflammation
bi-= two
sub- = under, below
Each of those terms were built from word parts. Over the course of the semester, you will be learning hundreds of word parts that are used to build medical terms.
Word roots are the origins of a term. They form the subject or foundation for the term. Lingu/ is a word root.
Combining vowels are letters that are used to join word parts. Normally an “o,” they can also be other vowels (e,i, or a).
Combining forms are word roots and combining vowels. This text presents these “subjects” in this format. Lingu/o is a combining form.
Suffixes are word parts that appear at the end of the term. They provide information about the subject of the term. -al is a suffix.
A prefix is a word part that appears at the beginning of some (but not all) terms. Prefixes give further information about the absence, location, number, quantity, or state of a term. Sub- is a prefix.

6. Nondecodable Terms Most healthcare terms can be built from word parts.
Examples include:
Cataract
Asthma
Terminology is also composed of words that cannot be broken into meaningful component parts.
These are terms for which you will simply have to remember the entire meaning.
Cataract is derived from Greek meaning a waterfall: This was perhaps to describe the loss of sight as a “closing” of one’s visual capacity. Nice, but not useful for a medical meaning. Our definition is “a progressive opacification of the lens.”
Asthma comes from Greek also, and literally translates as “panting.” Can anyone see the connection between panting and the disease? Although this makes a little more sense, our definition will be “a respiratory disorder characterized by recurring episodes of paroxysmal dyspnea (difficulty breathing).”
Cataract
From Zitelli and Davis: Atlas of pediatric physical diagnosis, ed 5, Mosby

7. Present and Future Conditions
Diagnosis—present condition
Prognosis—future condition
Although these two terms are built from word parts, they do not have a clear meaning when you try and take them apart. With these terms it is probably best to memorize a definition instead of breaking them apart. Take a look –
Diagnosis: dia- + -gnosis
Dia- means “through” or “complete” and –gnosis means a “state of knowledge.”
Literally: complete state of knowledge
A diagnosis is the name of a disease or condition after a healthcare professional evaluates a patient’s signs, symptoms, and history.
Prognosis: pro- + -gnosis
Pro- means “before, in front of” and –gnosis is still a “state of knowledge.”
A prognosis is a state of knowledge ahead of time, which sounds a little odd until you realize that it is a prediction of the future condition of a patient.

8. Sequela A condition that results from an injury or disease
Referred to in coding as a “late effect”
Guideline Alert!
“A late effect is the residual effect (condition produced) after the acute phase of an illness or injury has terminated. There is no time limit on when a late effect code can be used…The condition or nature of the late effect is sequenced first. The late effect code is sequenced second.”
Another example of a term that is familiar to coders is a sequela, commonly termed a late effect.
Note the definition and the accompanying Guideline Alert! Although this is a course in medical terminology, early exposure to these terms will help you later when you are studying coding.

9. Time/Severity of a Disease
Acute—short term and sharp
Chronic—long term and returns
Guideline Alert!
“If the same condition is described as both acute (subacute) and chronic, and separate subentries exist in the Alphabetic Index at the same indentation level, code both and sequence the acute (subacute) code first.”
For acute, think sharp (acu- means sharp, as in acupuncture) and short. An acute form of a disease begins suddenly and severely.
For chronic, think long term, recurring. The combining form chron/o means “time.” The chronic form of a disease is characterized by a long duration and a recurring nature.
In medical terminology, an instrument to measure time is a “chronometer” – or the watch that you have on your wrist! Here, the combining form chron/o and the suffix –meter (an instrument to measure) make an easily decodable term.
Note another Guideline Alert! to give you a heads up about these terms. You will see them used as you progress through the text. For now, you can note their meanings and know that there is a hierarchy as to their sequencing.

10. Signs and Symptoms Sign Symptom Objective Observable signs Subjective
Patient’s explanation
Patients normally come to see a healthcare provider because they feel bad or they see something on their body that worries them. These can be divided into two categories: signs and symptoms.
Signs are objective: They can be seen and/or measured. Examples are fevers, high blood pressure, and rashes.
Symptoms are subjective: They are experienced by the patient but cannot be seen or measured. “I’m dizzy” and “I’m sick to my stomach” are examples of symptoms.

11. Guideline Alert!
“Codes that describe symptoms and signs, as opposed to diagnoses, are acceptable for reporting purposes when a related definitive diagnosis has not been established (confirmed) by the provider.”
Note the Guideline Alert! that differentiates between signs and symptoms and diagnoses.

12. Etiology and Manifestation
Etiology is the cause of a disease/disorder.
Manifestation is the outward demonstration of the disease.
Two more terms that are important to coding.

13. CM Guideline Alert!
ETIOLOGY/MANIFESTATION CONVENTION (“CODE FIRST,” “USE ADDITIONAL CODE ” AND “IN DISEASES CLASSIFIED ELSEWHERE ” NOTES)* Certain conditions have both an underlying etiology and multiple body system manifestations due to the underlying etiology. For such conditions, the ICD-10-CM has a coding convention that requires the underlying condition be sequenced first followed by the manifestation. Wherever such a combination exists, there is a “use additional code” note at the etiology code and a “code first” note at the manifestation code. These instructional notes indicate the proper sequencing order of the codes: etiology followed by manifestation.
The classification provides direction in helping you to remember the order to code, although the convention is the etiology followed by the manifestation.

14. CM Guideline Alert!
In most cases the manifestation codes will have “in diseases classified elsewhere” in the code title. Codes with this title are a component of the etiology/manifestation convention. The code title indicates that it is a manifestation code. “in diseases classified elsewhere” codes are never permitted to be used as first-listed or principal diagnosis codes. They must be used in conjunction with an underlying condition code and they must be listed following the underlying condition.
*For more of this guideline, see ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting.
These guidelines give you a taste of how you will be applying your knowledge of terminology and why it is important to have a solid background as you progress to your actual coding courses.

15. Syndrome
Syndrome: a group of signs and symptoms that consistently appear together
Examples: Down’s syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome
Guideline Alert!
“Follow the alphabetic Index guidance when coding syndromes. In the absence of Index guidance, assign codes for the documented manifestations of the syndrome.”
Note that in this slide, you learn a new term (syndrome) that uses three recently learned terms (signs, symptoms, and manifestations).

16. Review Question Which of the following would be a sign? A. pain
B. blisters
C. nausea
D. dizziness
B. Blisters - because you can see (or measure) them.
Remember that signs are objective, while symptoms are subjective.

17. Eponyms ICD-10-CM: Alzheimer’s disease & Achilles tendon ICD-10-PCS
Eponyms are medical terms that carry the name of the person or place associated with the term. Eponyms are used in ICD-10-CM but not in ICD10PCS.
Alzheimer’s disease: named after a German neurologist, Alois Alzheimer; this disease is a progressive mental deterioration.
Achilles tendon: the band of tissue that attaches the calf muscle to the heel bone. Achilles was a Greek hero during the Trojan war.
Can you think of any others? Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, fallopian tubes, cesarean section, etc.
Notice the ending of this term: -nym is a Greek term for “name.” We’ll meet many members of this family: homonyms (words that sound the same, like the words their and there), acronyms (terms made from the initial letters of an abbreviation), pseudonyms (false names, like an alias), and our now familiar term eponym.
Alzheimer’s disease

18. Abbreviations and Symbols
Simple
IM, IV, C2
Acronyms
CABG, TURP, AIDS
Symbols (↑, ♀)
Dangerous and DO NOT USE abbreviations
OU, QID
Abbreviations and symbols are short forms of terms used for the sake of convenience. They are commonly used in healthcare documentation, and many will be presented throughout the text.
Abbreviations may be simple: IM for intramuscular (pertaining to within the muscles) or C2 (the second cervical vertebra [bone in the neck]).
Can anyone tell me the meaning of the abbreviation IV? Intravenous – pertaining to within a vein
Another type of abbreviation is an acronym: a term that can be pronounced from its abbreviated letters.
Example: CABG: coronary artery bypass graft or TURP: transurethral resection of the prostate
Symbols: The symbols for male and female are recognizable, and the increase and decrease arrows are pretty easy to understand.
But there is a danger! Because of their shortened form, they either share a meaning or appear to be similar to another term. For that reason, the Joint Commission (the organization that oversees accreditation of healthcare facilities throughout the US) has published a DO NOT USE list that includes abbreviations and symbols that should not be used as part of their effort to promote patient safety. The Institute of Safe Medical Practice, Inc. has a more extensive list. Be aware that every healthcare facility should have an approved list of the abbreviations and symbols that the clinicians may use.

19. Review Question
Terms that are named after people or places are called:
A. acronyms
B. homonyms
C. eponyms
D. pseudonyms
C. Eponyms!
Acronyms are words made from the first letters of some abbreviations.
Homonyms are terms that sound alike.
Pseudonyms are “false” names.

20. gloss/o + -itis = glossitis
Decodable Terms
The code
Combining form (in red) + suffix (in green) =
decodable term
gloss/o + -itis = glossitis
The “secret” to terminology is to learn the code to translate thousands of medical terms.
Decoding basics: Most terms are composed of a combining form and a suffix.
The combining form is the subject of the term; what the term is about. It is composed of a word root and a combining vowel (usually an “o”). An example would be gloss/ + o = gloss/o. Notice that the combining form has a / after the word root and is followed by a vowel.
The suffix is the ending of the term. It gives you information about the combining form. Is the term describing an anatomical structure? A disease? A diagnostic procedure? A treatment? Or maybe something else? An example would be –itis. Notice that the suffix begins with a –.
Let’s look at an example (next slide):

21. Decoding 101 (The CARD Method)
Check the word parts in a term.
Assign meanings to the word parts.
Reverse the suffix to the front of the term.
Define the term.
C=Check
A=Assign
R=Reverse
D=Define
A big part of the course is memorizing hundreds of those Greek and Latin word parts we talked about. For a very good reason.
In order to get a working definition for a term, you can use this method (and notice the rhythm and rhyme).
Check for word parts (combining forms, word roots, suffixes). Is it decodable?
Assign meanings to each of the word parts.
Take the meaning of the suffix and put it BEFORE the meaning of the combining form/word root.
Define the term!

22. glossitis Decoding Glossitis: Check for word parts in the term.
You recognize the word parts gloss/ and –itis.

23. Decoding Glossitis: Assign
Assign meanings to the word parts.
glossitis
tongue / inflammation of
By now, you probably recognize the gloss in glossitis as a word part meaning “tongue.”
And possibly (!), you recognize the –itis as meaning “inflammation.”
Glossitis
From Feldman: Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and liver disease, ed 8, Saunders

24. Decoding Glossitis: Reverse
Reverse the meaning of the suffix to the front of your translation.
glossitis
inflammation of / tongue
We’re almost there!

25. Decoding Glossitis: Define
Define the term.
Glossitis: inflammation of the tongue
The color in the slides and in the first few pages of Chapter One are to help you recognize the word parts and use them to define terms. It’s certainly a shift in the way most people view words.
But as Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas, anymore.” And no, dear students, you are no longer in the land of English speakers…

26. Review Question So which activity comes first?
A. Assign meanings to the word components.
B. Define the term.
C. Check for word components.
D. Reverse the meanings.
C. Check!
The first thing you need to do is to check for word parts. AND THAT MEANS YOU NEED TO MEMORIZE THE WORD PARTS THAT WE GO OVER!!!!
This is a great time to “make a note to self” to go the Shiland Evolve site and practice with the Match the Word Part activity and the Electronic Flash cards.
Remember: Check, assign, reverse, define. CARD.

27. Using Combining Forms and Suffixes
Note the possibilities of terms that can be built using six combining forms and six suffixes. Because they are from Greek and Latin, these are all word parts that you will need to memorize.

28. New Word Parts Combining Forms Suffixes arthr/o = joint
gastr/o = stomach
ophthalm/o = eye
ot/o = ear
rhin/o = nose
hepat/o = liver
Suffixes
-algia = pain
-scope = instrument to view
-logy = study of
-tomy = cutting
-plasty = surgically forming
-itis = inflammation
Learning these 12 word parts will help you practice your decoding skills and help you to recognize the difference in medical terminology between coding in ICD-9 and ICD-10.
You might want to use flashcards: Electronic ones are provided on the Evolve site. You could also make them using 3 x5 cards, or you can purchase them ready made (Mosby’s Medical Terminology Flash Cards). Research shows that you need to be exposed to a word at least six times to place it in your long term memory.

29. gastralgia The CARD Method
The patient complained of chronic gastralgia.
Check the word parts in a term.
gastralgia
To get you started, this term already has the word parts identified (red = word root, green = suffix)
Refer back to the previous slide if you need help in the meanings of these word parts.

30. gastralgia stomach / pain The CARD Method
Assign meanings to the word parts.
gastralgia
stomach / pain
And you know the meanings, again, because you took the time to study and remember them!

31. gastralgia pain / stomach The CARD Method
Reverse the meaning of the suffix to the front of the definition.
gastralgia
pain / stomach
Here’s the trick. Now you need to put the meaning of the suffix FIRST and the meaning of the word root/combining form LAST.

32. gastralgia pain (of ) the stomach The CARD Method Define the term
You did it!
Now let’s see how it would look in a sentence.

33. The CARD Method in Action
The patient complained of chronic gastralgia (pain of the stomach).
Is this complaint a sign or a symptom?
What does the term “chronic” mean?
Excellent! You have translated your first term!
Now, can you take your knowledge of the difference between signs and symptoms and use it with your decoding skills to tell me what this complaint qualifies as?
Yes! It’s a symptom – pain is not something that can be objectively measured or seen.
Chronic means developing slowly and lasting a long time.

34. Building Terms Most terms are built according to five simple rules.
You must know the difference between a consonant and a vowel.
What are the vowels?
Instead of taking terms apart, we are now going to learn the rules for putting them together.
Vowels are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y. Remember those? If you didn’t, now’s the time.
Exceptions do exist, but they will be noted when they arise.

35. Building Terms: Rule #1
If the suffix starts with a vowel, a combining vowel is NOT needed to join the parts.
arthr/o + -itis = arthritis
You don’t need to keep the “o,” because the suffix starts with a vowel.
Think of the vowels as “glue” to hold the word root to the suffix. If a vowel already exists, you’d have too much glue.

36. arthr/o + -plasty = arthroplasty
Building Terms: Rule #2
If the suffix starts with a consonant, a combining vowel IS needed to join the two word parts.
arthr/o + -plasty = arthroplasty
You needed to keep the combining vowel because the suffix starts with a consonant, the letter “p.”

37. endocardi/o + -itis = endocarditis
Building Terms: Rule #3
If a combining form ends with the same vowel that begins a suffix, one of the vowels is dropped.
endocardi/o + -itis = endocarditis
The word root endocardi/ ends with an “i.” The suffix “-itis” starts with an “i.” So no need for both!
Endocardi/o is a combining form that is made up of two word parts itself. Endo- is actually our last word part that means within, or inner. More on those later.

38. gastr/o + enter/o + -itis = gastroenteritis
Building Terms: Rule #4
If two or more combining forms are used in a term, the combining vowel is retained between the two, regardless of whether the second combining form is a vowel or a suffix.
gastr/o + enter/o + -itis
= gastroenteritis
The “o” is dropped from enter/o when combined with a suffix because the suffix starts with a vowel.
BUT! The “o” is kept between gastr/o and enter/o because they are two combining forms.
Does it matter that enter/o starts with a vowel? NO! The vowel/consonant issue is only important for suffixes.

39. Building Terms: Rule #5 esophag/o + gastr/o + duoden/o + -scopy
Sometimes when two or more combining forms are used to make a term, special notice needs to be paid to the order in which the combining forms are joined.
esophag/o + gastr/o
+ duoden/o
+ -scopy
= esophagogastroduodenoscopy
Take a look at our illustration. The normal route of the digestive system is from the esophagus (esophag/o) to the stomach (gastr/o) to the first part of the small intestine, the duodenum (duoden/o).

40. Review Question Build a term meaning “pain of the ear.” A. rhinalgia
B. rhinoalgia
C. otalgia
D. otoalgia
C. -algia = pain; ot/o = ear
Pain of the ear, or an earache
You drop the “o” because the suffix starts with a vowel.

41. Review Question
Build a term that means “an instrument to view the eye.”
A. opthalmoscope
B. ophthalmoscope
C. ophtalmscope
D. ophthalmscope
B. -scope = an instrument to view; ophthalm/o = eye
An instrument to visually examine the eye.
The “o” is kept because the suffix starts with a consonant, “s.”

42. Noun Suffixes Structure, thing Structure, thing, membrane Small, tiny
-is (ex: hypodermis)
Structure, thing, membrane
-um (ex: endocardium)
Small, tiny
-icle, -ole, -ule (ex: cuticle, arteriole, venule)
A little parts of speech review: A noun is a person, place, or thing.
Hypodermis is the structure under the skin.
Endocardium is the membrane within the heart.
Cuticle is the little skin around your nail. Arteriole is a little artery, and a venule is a little vein.

43. Adjective Suffixes Suffixes that mean pertaining to: -ac cardiac
-al cervical
-ar valvular
-ary coronary
-eal esophageal
-ic hypodermic
-ous subcutaneous
All of these mean “pertaining to” and are adjective endings. Their role is to describe something.
So cardiac is pertaining to the heart. We don’t know what exactly, but we know it’s pertaining to the heart.
Digital is pertaining to a finger or toe.
Vavular is pertaining to a valve.
Mammary is pertaining to the breast.
Hypodermic is pertaining to below the skin.
Subcutaneous is also pertaining to below the skin.
Why would those last two be so different but have the same meaning? Greek and Latin!

44. Pathology Suffixes
-algia cephaloalgia
-emia hyperlipidemia
-ia agastria
-itis tonsillitis
-malacia chondromalacia
-megaly splenomegaly
Be Careful! Don’t confuse –malacia, meaning softening, with –megaly, meaning enlargement.
Splenomegaly
All this terminology is giving me cephaloalgia.
Cephal/o means head and –algia is yet a suffix for pain. So this term describes pain in the head, or a headache.
Hyperlipidemia is a blood condition of excessive fats.
Agastria is a condition of no stomach.
Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils.
Chondromalacia is a softening of cartilage.
Splenomegaly is an enlargement of the spleen.

45. Pathology Suffixes
-ptosis hysteroptosis
-sclerosis arteriosclerosis
-spasm bronchospasm
-stenosis arteriostenosis
Be Careful! Don’t confuse –sclerosis, meaning hardening, with –stenosis, meaning narrowing.
These suffixes are also interesting in that they can stand on their own as terms.
Hysteroptosis is a drooping or prolapse of the uterus.
Arteriosclerosis is a hardening of the arteries.
Arteriostenosis is a narrowing of the arteries.
Bronchospasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of the bronchi.
You will meet more of these “stand alone” terms as we move through the course.
Arteriosclerosis

46. Pathology Suffixes
-rrhage, -rrhagia hemorrhage
-rrhea otorrhea
Be Careful! Don’t confuse –rrhage and -rrhagia, meaning bursting forth, with –rrhea, meaning discharge or flow.
Hemorrhage is a bursting forth of blood.
Otorrhea is a discharge from the ear.

47. Root Operations and Suffixes
Definition of a root operation – the goal of a procedure
Certain suffixes provide a clue as to the type of root operation.
Examples:
Excision = cutting out or off, without replacement, a portion of a body part (ex. –ectomy)
Resection = cutting out or off, without replacement, all of a body part (ex. –ectomy)
Repair = restoring, to the extent possible, a body part to its normal anatomic structure and function (ex. –plasty)
Alteration = modifying the anatomic structure of a body part without affecting the function of the body part (ex. –plasty)
Explain that a root operation is the goal of a procedure in the Medical/Surgical section of PCS. Often suffixes can be used to help a coder narrow down the root operations (there are a total of 31) that should be used for the particular procedure that was carried out.
For example: A resection is to cut out or off, without replacement, all of a body part, whereas an excision is to cut out or off, without replacement, a portion of a body part. Our suffix, –ectomy, is defined as cutting out or off. Coders need to evaluate a term to determine if the intended procedure was to take out all or part of the organ named. Note that the definitions provided for the suffixes in the text are compatible (and avoid confusion) with the definitions of the root operations.
A repair, which is usually termed a –plasty, shares this suffix with the root operations for alterations (modifiying the anatomic structure of a body part without affecting the function of the body part).
Refer students to the inside cover of the back of their text for the remainder of the root operations and tell them that the body system chapters will have a summary of the root operations for the suffixes used in the chapter. They do not need to learn them now, but they do need to be exposed to them.

48. Procedure Suffixes -graphy mammography -metry spirometry -opsy biopsy
-scopy hysteroscopy
Mammography is the process of recording the breasts.
Spirometry is the process of measurement of breathing.
Biopsy is the process of viewing living tissue.
Hysteroscopy is a process of viewing the uterus.
Spirometry

49. Procedure Suffixes
-ectomy gastrectomy
-plasty rhinoplasty
-stomy colostomy
-tomy osteotomy
-tripsy lithotripsy
Be Careful! Don’t confuse –ectomy, meaning cutting out, with -stomy, meaning making a new opening, or –tomy, meaning cutting.
Gastrectomy is cutting out (part or all) of the stomach.
Rhinoplasty is a surgical forming of the nose. Sometimes this also means a cosmetic repair of the nose – something that insurance rarely covers. You might want to note that –plasty used to be defined as “repair,” but with a root operation having this particular name, the definition of surgically forming is a better meaning.
A colostomy is a new opening of the large intestine.
Osteotomy is a cutting of bone.
Lithotripsy is a crushing of a stone.
Colostomy

50. Lithotripsy
An image of lithotripsy, the process of crushing stones.

51. Instrument Suffixes -graph electrocardiograph -meter thermometer
-scope ophthalmoscope
An electrocardiograph is an instrument to record the electrical activity of the heart. The record that it makes is an electrocardiogram. You may have seen the abbreviation ECG or EKG.
A thermometer is an instrument to measure heat or temperature.
An ophthalmoscope is an instrument to view the eye.
Ophthalmoscope

52. Instrument Suffixes -tome osteotome -tripter lithotripter
-trite lithotrite
An instrument to cut bone is an osteotome (a bone knife).
A machine to crush stones is a lithotripter.
An instrument to crush stones is a lithotrite.
osteotome

53. Specialties/Specialist Suffixes
-logy neonatology
-logist psychologist
-ist dentist
-er polysomnographer
The study of newborns is neonatology.
One who specializes in the study of the mind is a psychologist.
A teeth specialist is a dentist.
One who records many aspects of sleep is a polysomnographer.

54. Specialties/Specialist Suffixes
-iatry psychiatry
-iatrist psychiatrist
-iatrics pediatrics
-iatrician pediatrician
The process of treatment of the mind is psychiatry.
One who specializes in treatment of the mind is a psychiatrist.
The treatment of children is pediatrics.
One who specializes in treatment of children is a pediatrician.

55. Review Question One who specializes in the study of bones:
A. osteiatrician
B. osteologist
C. osteology
D. osteer
B. Osteologist
We need to find the suffix that means “one who specializes in the study of.”

56. Prefixes Prefixes modify a medical term indicating: Absence Location
Number/quantity
State
They come before a term.
And guess what “pre-” means?
Before……

57. Prefixes Are attached directly to the beginning of the term
May have more than one meaning
No combining vowel is needed to attach these.
Every once in a while, prefixes will have two different meanings. You will be warned! So don’t worry.

58. Prefixes
a- apneic
an- anophthalmia
ante- anteversion
anti- antibacterial
Be Careful! Don’t confuse ante-, meaning forward, with anti-, meaning against.
Pertaining to not breathing is the definition for the term apneic. As in many definitions, this does not give you the entire story. Apnea (the noun) is a condition of temporary lack of breathing.
Anophthalmia means a condition of no eye.
Anteversion is the process of turning forward.
Antibacterial is pertaining to against bacteria (like the wipes you may use to clean).

59. Prefixes dys- dystrophy endo-, end- endoscopy epi- epigastric
Dystrophy is a condition of abnormal nourishment.
Endoscopy is the process of viewing within.
Epigastric means pertaining to above the stomach.

60. Prefixes
hyper- hyperglycemia
hypo- hypoglossal
Be Careful! Don’t confuse hyper-, meaning excessive, with hypo, meaning below, deficient.
These two prefixes are very common and look very similar.
Hyperglycemia is a blood condition of excessive sugar.
Hypoglossal is pertaining to below the tongue.

61. Prefixes
inter- intervertebral
intra- intradermal
Be Careful! Don’t confuse inter-, meaning between, with intra-, meaning within.
Another two prefixes that appear very similar.
Intervertebral means pertaining to between two backbones.
Intradermal means pertaining to within the skin.

62. Prefixes
para-, par- paraphilia
per- percutaneous
peri- pericardium
pre- prenatal
Be Careful! Don’t confuse per-, meaning through, with peri-, meaning surrounding, and pre-, meaning before.
Para- and par- mean abnormal (or sometimes near).
Paraphilia is an abnormal attraction to something. An example is pedophilia, which would be an attraction to? (children)
Percutaneous means pertaining to through the skin.
Pericardium is the membrane surrounding the heart.
Prenatal means pertaining to before birth.

63. Prefixes poly- polyneuritis post- postictal sub- subhepatic
Polyneuritis is an inflammation of many nerves. Remember polysomnographer?
Postictal is pertaining to after a seizure.
Subhepatic is pertaining to below the liver.

64. Review Question
If a patient came in for a checkup before the birth of her baby, it was a/n __________ visit:
A. antenatal
B. antinatal
C. postnatal
D. perinatal
A. Antenatal
You may have just seen prenatal meaning the same thing. They are both correct to mean pertaining to before birth. Just don’t be confused by the anti’s and the per’s and the peri’s.

65. Review Question
A patient has a rash around his nose. The physician charts it as a _________ rash:
A. prerhinal
B. perirhinal
C. perrhinal
D. polyrhinal
B. Perirhinal
Great! You recognized that peri- means around or surrounding.

66. Singular/Plural Endings
vertebra
arthrosis
appendix
arthritis
phalanx
endocardium
digitus
therapy
Plural
vertebrae
arthroses
appendices
arthritides
phalanges
endocardia
digiti
therapies
These singular/plural endings are the result of the Greek and Latin origins of our terminology.
For the singulars, drop the bolded letters, drop them and add the bolded letters in the plural column.
A vertebra is a backbone.
Arthrosis is an abnormal condition of a joint.
Appendix usually refers to an addition as in the vermiform appendix that hangs off of the first part of the large intestine.
A phalanx is a bone in a finger or toe.
The endocardium is the membrane that lines the heart.
A digitus is a finger or toe.
An therapy is another name for treatment.

67. Review Question The plural of pharynx (the throat) is: A. pharynxes
B. pharyngies
C. pharynges
D. pharynxa
C. Pharynges
If it ends with nx, drop the nx and add nges.
You’ll see singular and plural forms noted consistently throughout the text.

68. Categories of Terms Anatomy and physiology
Pathology (diseases and disorders)
Procedures (tests and treatments)
Now that you’ve made it through the first chapter, you need to think of what the majority of these terms represent.
In general, they fall into one of these three categories. It’s important that you recognize what the terms represent.

69. Sort These Terms into Their Correct Categories
Terms 1. hysteroscopy 2. endocardium 3. gastrectomy 4. hepatitis
Categories
__ Anatomy and physiology
__ Pathology
__ Procedures
A+P – endocardium
Pathology – hepatitis
Procedures – hysteroscopy, gastrectomy

70. Summary of Chapter One
A good understanding of medical terminology will help individuals code accurately and efficiently.
An exposure to the guidelines, codes, and root operations will prepare students for a smooth transition to coding instruction.
Recognizing the suffixes with I10 compatible definitions will help students transition quickly to PCS coding.
Encourage the students to do the exercises in the chapter, use the online resources, make their own flashcards, and do all assigned work. They are learning a new language and it’s going to take a lot of work!