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brandcenter.kp.org Editorial Style Guide Updated: 1/14 Welcome to the Kaiser Permanente Editorial Style Guide When you are writing on behalf of Kaiser Permanente, have you ever wondered: • Can I use the term “Obamacare?” • Are people’s job titles supposed to be capitalized? • Do I have to spell out “Kaiser Permanente,” or is it ok to use “KP”? This style guide provides guidance on style, grammar, terminology, and usage. For detailed guidance on brand voice, please see the Brand Book or visit the Brand Center at brandcenter.kp.org. Please Note: Due to the fact that the wiki is currently over 700 pages, we encourage you to be environmentally conscious and not print the document. A A a, an a.m., p.m. abbreviations, acronyms above, below absolutes ACA academic degrees acronyms Added Choice® addresses advance directives advice nurse adviser affect, effect affiliated community physicians Affordable Care Act African-American (n., adj.) after hours (adv.), after-hours (adj.) ages AIDS although, though America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) American Association of Health Plans American Express American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) American Medical Association (AMA) American Nurses Association (ANA) American Specialty Health, Inc. (ASH) among, between ampersand and, or apostrophe app appointments Asian-American (n., adj.) assistant physician in chief assure asterisk * asthma asthmatic attention deficit disorder (ADD) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Avivia Health From Kaiser Permanente a, an a, an Use a with words, abbreviations, or acronyms that begin with sounded consonants. a historic building, a hotel, a book Use a with words that begin with a you sound. a utopia, a union, a unit, a European vacation Use an with words or acronyms that begin with vowels or unsounded consonants. an honor, an herb, an heiress, an emergency If an abbreviation or acronym is pronounced as a series of individual letters, the choice of the article depends on the pronunciation of the first letter. An HIV test, an RHE brochure, a CDC guideline If the abbreviation or acronym is widely pronounced as a word, the article is determined by the pronunciation of the word. a NATO meeting, an OSHA regulation See also academic degrees, addresses, months, recipes. Back to A abbreviations, acronyms abbreviations, acronyms For the sake of clarity, avoid using acronyms and abbreviations as much as possible. However, within the health care industry and Kaiser Permanente, acronyms and abbreviations abound — when using them, use sparingly. Do not use internally created acronyms or abbreviations in external communications. Example: KP For plurals, add an S without an apostrophe. Example: HMOs (not HMO’s) If a speaker uses an abbreviation or acronym in a quote that does not appear elsewhere in the copy, and it is not immediately recognizable, follow with a definition set in brackets, or simply replace with a definition set in brackets. “I checked his EMR [electronic medical record] and noticed the issue,” Dr. Bryce said. “I checked his [electronic medical record] and noticed the issue,” Dr. Bryce said. Acronyms As defined by this style guide, acronyms (including initialisms) are formed from the first letter of a group of words. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kaiser Permanente (KP) United Kingdom (UK) To avoid confusion, acronyms that spell real words and have less than three letters take periods. United States (U.S.) operating room (O.R.) Exception: IT (for information technology). Define and clarify acronyms as soon as they are introduced. We have shared walking information with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our cancer survival rates are among the best in the world as measured by SEER — also known as Surveillance, Epidemiology, & End Results — and cancer registries. Do not use an acronym unless it will be repeated more than twice in subsequent copy. Extremely familiar acronyms generally do not need to be defined. FBI, HIV, IBM Headlines: Do not define acronyms, but be sure to define acronyms within the piece itself. Wrong: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Releases Latest Flu Report Right: CDC Releases Latest Flu Report Abbreviations Abbreviations are shortened forms of a word or phrase. They take periods at the end. Mister (Mr.) Boulevard (Blvd.) California (Calif.) Single-letter directional abbreviations in addresses take periods. Multiletter directional abbreviations do not. 300 W. Main St. 500 NE Multnomah Exceptions to the above guidance for abbreviations occur, so be aware of them. Some examples include: Postal codes for states (CA, OH, MD) ID (identification) IV (intravenous) OK (okay) TV (television) MD, PhD For specific acronyms or abbreviations, see the full name of the organization listed in this style guide or in the AP Stylebook. Back to A above, below above, below On the Web, avoid using above and below unless the text you're referring to will definitely be displayed on the same page. Avoid using above and below in multiple-page documents. Page breaks may change so what once was below may end up on the next page. Use with caution: The centers listed below . . . Physicians listed above . . . Preferred: The following centers . . . The list of physicians included here . . . Back to A absolutes absolutes Avoid using absolutes, such as always, every, all, and never, when describing Kaiser Permanente. Right: And many of the services you might need are usually in the same location as your physician. Wrong: And all of the services you might need are always in the same location as your physician. See also superlatives. Back to A ACA ACA See Affordable Care Act. academic degrees academic degrees Do not use periods in abbreviations for academic and professional degrees and titles. MD, PhD, PharmD (not M.D., Ph.D., Pharm.D.) Do not precede a name with a courtesy title for an academic degree and then follow the name with the degree's abbreviation. Dr. Pam Jones or Pam Jones, MD (not Dr. Pam Jones, MD) In text, use a person's full name followed by his or her degree in the first reference. In subsequent mentions, the courtesy title goes in front of the last name. Use of the name in a headline counts as first reference. First reference: Anthony Radcliffe, MD Subsequent references: Dr. Radcliffe In informal internal communications, even persons with doctoral degrees may be referred to by their first name on subsequent references. First reference: Artie Southam, MD Subsequent references: Artie In general, use Dr. only with doctors who hold an MD. Some clinical departments, however, may choose to use Dr. for professionals who hold a DO, OD, PhD, PsyD, DDS, etc. An OD, RN, MD, etc., is a degree, not a person. Degree abbreviations should only be used following a person's name. Right: Judy Jones is an optometrist. The nurse checked his blood pressure. Wrong: Judy Jones is an OD. The RN checked his blood pressure. Initial proper names of degrees. Master of Fine Arts Lower case general types of academic degrees and use an apostrophe. Lowercase the field in which the degree was received, unless it is a proper noun such as English. master's degree in music; bachelor's degree It is often not practical to include all degrees or certifications a person holds, so it is important to consider the context of your communication. In general, do not include bachelor's degrees. Include master's and/or doctorate degrees and professional certifications as relevant to the content of the communication. If a person holds both a master's and doctorate in the same field, it is not necessary to include the master's degree. When a person with a degree of any type is cited as a subject expert, also cite his or her field of expertise for clarity's sake. Barry Jacobson, PhD, a mental health counselor at Beaverton Medical Office Carol Smith, PT, a physical therapist at Rockville Medical Center see also titles, academic; titles, jobs Back to A acronyms acronyms See abbreviations and acronyms. Back to A Added Choice® Added Choice® A Kaiser Permanente point-of-service plan in which members have the option to choose care from a Kaiser Permanente physician or outside providers at the point of service. Use ® symbol in first reference and any prominent references Note: used only in Hawaii, Mid-Atlantic States, and Northwest. Back to A addresses addresses (print style) In general, follow Associated Press Stylebook. General AP guidelines, as well as exceptions, are outlined here. Abbreviations: In full addresses, abbreviate Ave., Blvd., and St. only. 393 E. Walnut St. In general, spell out all other street descriptors (alley, court, drive, road, terrace, way, etc.) Exception: In directory listings or other materials in which space is very limited, you can abbreviate the following location descriptors as indicated below: Apt. Aly. Bldg. Cyn. Cir. Ct. Expwy. Fwy. Hwy. Pkwy. Rd. Ste. Terr. Way (do not abbreviate) Fl. When part of a formal street name without a number, spell out and capitalize: Madison Avenue, Sunset Boulevard When referring to more than one street, spell out but do not capitalize street descriptors: between Burnside and Yamhill streets Capitalize secondary address descriptors such as Building, Floor, and Suite. When a suite number or other secondary address descriptor appears on the same line as the street address, separate it from the street address with a comma. Drop the comma if the suite number is on a separate line. 500 NE Multnomah St., Suite 100 500 NE Multnomah St. Suite 100 Use the two-letter post office abbreviation for states only when indicating a mailing address with ZIP codes. 393 E. Walnut St. Pasadena, CA 91188 Numbers: For numbered streets, follow standard AP numbers style. 4785 N. First St. 45 10th St. Ordinals: Use ordinals in addresses (1st Floor), except when referring to the proper name of a department or building (First Floor Pharmacy). Punctuation and spacing: Do not use periods in directional abbreviations of more than one letter in addresses. 19500 SE Stark St. 110 Irving St. NW Single-letter directional abbreviations in addresses take periods. 6847 N. Chestnut St. No space between "P." and "O." in P.O. Box. For business-reply mail addresses, U.S. Postal Service guidelines prohibit use of periods in all abbreviations. Back to A addresses (Web style) In general, follow Associated Press Stylebook. General AP guidelines, as well as exceptions, are outlined here. To enhance readability, use the standard block format, aligned to the left. Doernbecher Children's Hospital Oregon Health Sciences University 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road Portland, OR 97201 If you must list an address within a paragraph, use a sentence structure and separate the components of the address with a comma. No comma between the state and ZIP code. You can find medical services for children in the Portland area at Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Oregon Health Sciences University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97201. Abbreviations: In full addresses, abbreviate Ave., Blvd., and St. only. 393 E. Walnut St. In general, spell out all other street descriptors (alley, court, drive, road, terrace, way, etc.) Exception: In directory listings or other materials in which space is very limited, you can abbreviate the following location descriptors as indicated below: Apt. Aly. Bldg. Cyn. Cir. Ct. Expwy. Fwy. Hwy. Pkwy. Rd. Ste. Terr. Way (do not abbreviate) Fl. When part of a formal street name without a number, spell out and capitalize: Madison Avenue, Sunset Boulevard When referring to more than one street, spell out but do not capitalize street descriptors: between Burnside and Yamhill streets Capitalize secondary address descriptors such as Building, Floor, and Suite. When a suite number or other secondary address descriptor appears on the same line as the street address, separate it from the street address with a comma. Drop the comma if the suite number is on a separate line. 500 NE Multnomah St., Suite 100 500 NE Multnomah St. Suite 100 Use the two-letter post office abbreviation for states only when indicating a mailing address with ZIP codes. 393 E. Walnut St. Pasadena, CA 91188 Numbers: For numbered streets, follow standard AP numbers style. 4785 N. First St. 45 10th St. Ordinals: Use ordinals in addresses (1st Floor), except when referring to the proper name of a department or building (First Floor Pharmacy). Punctuation and spacing: Do not use periods in directional abbreviations of more than one letter in addresses. 19500 SE Stark St. 110 Irving St. NW 6847 N. Chestnut St. No space between "P." and "O." in P.O. Box. Back to A advance directives advance directives Not advanced Statements executed by a person, while of sound mind, as to his or her wishes about the use of medical intervention in the event of the loss of personal decision-making ability. Advance directives is an umbrella term for all types of health care instructions, old and new, which may include advance health care directive, durable power of attorney for health care, natural death act declaration, living wills, and verbal instructions. Document titles vary by state. All states and the District of Columbia have laws that permit individuals to sign documents stating their wishes about health care decisions when they cannot speak for themselves. The specifics of these laws vary, but the basic principle of complying with the person's wishes is the same everywhere. See also Patient Self-Determination Act. Back to A advice nurse advice nurse An advice nurse is a registered nurse who is specially trained to help assess physical symptoms and provide advice over the phone, when medically appropriate. Always lowercase. Back to A adviser adviser Not advisor. Exception: Use Advisor in name of KP's Web-based interactive tool Health Plan Advisor on kp.org. Back to A affect, effect affect/effect Affect, as a verb, means "to influence" or "to put on a pretense of." The cost of the health plan will affect my decision; He affects an indifferent manner, but I know he really cares. Do not use impact as a verb to mean affect. Affect, as a noun, shouldn't be used except as a term in psychology to describe an emotional reaction associated with an experience. Effect, as a verb, means "to cause." Bernard Tyson will effect many changes at Kaiser Permanente. Effect, as a noun, means "result." The birth of their child had a profound effect on their lifestyle. Back to A affiliated community physicians affiliated community physicians Lowercase. Do not use in Southern Colorado. For Southern Colorado, use community providers. Affordable Care Act Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act is the most widely recognized name for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and should be used on first reference. Use the full name of the act when context and clarity necessitate. ACA is acceptable on second reference. When not specifically referring to the act, it is acceptable to refer to the law generically (i.e., "health care reform," "new health care legislation," "health care law," etc.). "Obamacare" is an informal term often used in a political context or setting. Avoid unless quoting someone. If the the term is essential, write something with quotes around the word. For instance: He spoke of the Affordable Care Act, which he referred to as "Obamacare." African-American (n., adj.) African-American (n., adj.) Do not use as a blanket descriptor for black people, because many are not African-American, i.e., people of African descent born in the United States. Unless you can be reasonably certain that the population you are writing about comprises only African-Americans, or individuals describe themselves as such, use black. Always capitalize and hyphenate. The survey focused on 320 African-Americans.The risk factor is higher for African-American males. See also black and ethnicity, nationality, and race. Back to A after hours (adv.), after-hours (adj.) after hours (adv.), after-hours (adj.) You can get urgent care after hours. After-hours urgent care is available in some locations. Back to A ages ages Use numerals for all ages, except when the sentence begins with the age. A 4-year-old boy ran in the race. Four-year-old boys are too young to run in the race. Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives preceding a noun or as substitutes for a noun. A 5-year-old boy won the race. The race is for 5-year-olds. The girl is 9 years old. Decades are spelled without an apostrophe. a woman in her 30s When indicating a range of ages, the adjective "aged" or "ages" is not necessary. women 50 to 75, not women aged 50 to 75 When indicating a specific, defined limit in age, the adjective "age" is not necessary. women 50 and older, not women age 50 and older In print copy, when indicating a range of ages in a chart or table format, use an en dash in place of to. women 50–75, not women 50 to 75 In Web copy, when indicating a range of ages, even in a chart or table format, do not use an en dash (–) or hyphen in place of to due to accessibility requirements. women 50 to 70, not women 50–70 Do not use numerals for inanimate objects. See also numbers. Back to A AIDS AIDS Acronym for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is a disease caused by infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), a virus that attacks the immune system. A person infected with HIV does not necessarily have AIDS. The term AIDS is applied only to the most advanced stages of HIV infection. He tested positive for HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. HIV-positive, never HIV+. Never HIV virus, as this is redundant. The acronyms AIDS (not Aids) and HIV are acceptable in the first reference. Back to A although, though although/though Either use is OK. Back to A American Association of Health Plans American Association of Health Plans Do not use. See America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Back to A American Express American Express American Express no longer requires the use of a registration mark with its name. American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) Labor federation resulting from the 1955 merger of the two labor union organizations, whose mission is to speak for labor unions, the labor movement, and American workers on issues affecting workers and the workplace. It is not a collective-bargaining organization. AFL-CIO is acceptable on first reference. Back to A American Medical Association (AMA) American Medical Association (AMA) A voluntary trade association of practicing physicians that develops and promotes standards in medical practice, research, and education. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to A American Nurses Association (ANA) American Nurses Association (ANA) A full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.6 million registered nurses through its 54 constituent state associations and 10 organizational affiliate members. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and lobbying Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to A American Specialty Health, Inc. (ASH) American Specialty Health, Inc. (ASH) Company with which Kaiser Permanente contracts to provide members access to discounts for chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage therapy, and to provide preferred rates at select fitness clubs. Spell out on first reference. Use ASH on second and subsequent references. See also ChooseHealthy™. Back to A America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) A national organization that represents and serves hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities. Formerly known as American Association of Health Plans. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to A among, between among, between Between is used to express a relationship between two persons or things; among implies more than two. The funds were divided between the corporation and the foundation.The funds were divided among the corporation, the foundation, and designated individuals. When the relationship involves two groups, the correct word is between. Negotiations continued between the network and the committees of the three candidates. Between is also correct when more than two things relate on a one-to-one basis. The Secretary of State played a key role in negotiating a treaty between Germany, Great Britain, and France. (The treaty is between Germany and Great Britain; it is also between Germany and France, and France and Great Britain.) As with all prepositions, any pronouns that follow these words must be in the objective case. among us, between him and her, between you and me Back to A ampersand ampersand Use the ampersand (&) in place of and sparingly. Exceptions are: when it is part of a company's formal name: AT&T, Procter & Gamble, Oregon Health & Science University in Web copy, for space considerations (such as, in drop-down menus) Back to A a.m., p.m. a.m., p.m. See time. Back to A and, or and/or Avoid whenever possible. Back to A apostrophe apostrophe Use the smart/curved apostrophe in printed materials. Use the straight apostrophe for website copy. For usage, see dates, do's and don'ts, possessives. Back to A app app Short for application. Acceptable on first reference when referring to a program that runs on mobile devices. appointments appointments When talking about our online appointment feature, be aware that the terminology of request appointments and schedule appointments varies from region to region. Consult the wording currently available on the site. If the wording must accommodate multiple regions, use request rather than schedule. Request, view, and cancel routine appointments Acceptable depending on region: Schedule, view, and cancel appointments Asian-American (n., adj.) Asian-American (n., adj.) Always capitalize and hyphenate. Back to A assistant physician in chief assistant physician in chief Lowercase the medical specialty or subspecialty the physician is in charge of: Brian Rubinstein, MD, chief of pediatric head and neck surgery at Kaiser Permanente Sacramento. Dave Newhouse, MD, GSAA, assistant physician in chief for marketing and diversity. If the physician is in charge of a department, capitalize the name of the department. Back to A assure assure See ensure, insure. Back to A asterisk * asterisk (print style) Use asterisks sparingly. Parenthetical explanations, or brief explanations in the running text, are often preferable to using asterisks because they provide the information inline, so readers do not have to search for the explanations located elsewhere. However, when the explanatory information is long or complex, asterisks can be useful. Here are some guidelines: Locate the asterisk at the end of the sentence whenever possible. On those occasions when the explanatory information relates to only a portion of the sentence and not the entire sentence, it is OK to locate the asterisk within the sentence next to the relevant phrase or clause. This benefit is available to all members.* The benefits materials (available to some members,* and all employees) are found online. Always place the asterisk after punctuation (such as a period, comma, semicolon, question mark, or exclamation point), rather than before it. Exceptions include the em-dash (---), in which case the asterisk should come first. The asterisk explanation should always appear at the bottom of the same page as the asterisk. Generally, asterisks should hang outside a flush-left edge. There is no space between the asterisk and the copy. Use a hanging indent when asterisk copy is longer than one line. In text: Request routine appointments and order prescription refills online.* In footnote: *Some services not available in all areas. Please contact Member Services for more information. See also footnotes. Back to A asterisk (Web style) Use asterisks sparingly. Parenthetical explanations, or brief explanations in the running text, are often preferable to using asterisks because they provide the information inline, so readers do not have to search for the explanations located elsewhere. However, when the explanatory information is long or complex, asterisks can be useful. Here are some guidelines: Locate the asterisk at the end of the sentence whenever possible. On those occasions when the explanatory information relates to only a portion of the sentence and not the entire sentence, it is OK to locate the asterisk within the sentence next to the relevant phrase or clause. This benefit is available to all members.* The benefits materials (available to some members,* and all employees) are found online. Always place the asterisk after punctuation (such as a period, comma, semicolon, question mark, or exclamation point), rather than before it. Exceptions include the em-dash (---), in which the asterisk should come first. The asterisk explanation should always appear at the bottom of the same page as the asterisk. Generally, asterisks should hang outside a flush-left edge. There is no space between the asterisk and the copy. Use a hanging indent when asterisk copy is longer than one line. In text: Request routine appointments and order prescription refills online.* In footnote: *Some services not available in all areas. Please contact Member Services for more information. Link the asterisk so that the user can click it to see the footnote. Do not use asterisks to identify links to PDFs. Instead, use the diamond symbol. For more information about PDFs, see kp.org Web Standards. See also footnotes. Back to A asthma asthma Use asthma flare-up, not asthma attack. Back to A asthmatic asthmatic Do not use. Use person with asthma. Back to A attention deficit disorder (ADD) attention deficit disorder (ADD) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) encompasses attention deficit disorder (ADD) and ADD without hyperactivity. ADD is considered older terminology and is not used clinically. No hyphens. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to A attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition most commonly diagnosed in children and adolescents. The symptoms vary and include behavioral problems such as inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and academic underachievement. ADHD encompasses attention deficit disorder (ADD) and ADD without hyperactivity. No hyphens. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to A Avivia Health From Kaiser Permanente Avivia Health From Kaiser Permanente Provides the same health and productivity management services as Healthy Solutions to employers and community health plans in states where KP is not available. The program offers health coaches, health information, health tools, and a health assessment to provide care services for people at every stage of health---from active "health seekers" to those with behavioral risk factors and those with advanced chronic conditions. Formerly Kaiser Permanente Healthy Solutions, the name was changed to Avivia Health From Kaiser Permanente in April 2007 to describe only the stand-alone product that is sold to medium and large groups for their employees outside Kaiser Permanente regions, as well as community health plans. For details, see aviviahealth.com. Note initial cap F on From. Use full name on first reference; Avivia Health is acceptable on subsequent references. See Kaiser Permanente Healthy Solutions Back to A B B back up (v.), backup (n., adj.) because, since behavioral health care services below benefits benefit summary, Benefit Summary best-practices guidelines (n.) bimonthly black blood glucose (n., adj.) blood pressure blood sugar (n., adj.) board admissible board certified, board-certified (adj.) board eligible board of directors, Board of Directors body mass index (BMI) boldface bone marrow (n., adj.) brackets and parentheses brand names breastfed, breastfeed breast milk brokers bulleted text bullets back up (v.), backup (n., adj.) because, since behavioral health care services below benefit summary, Benefit Summary benefits best-practices guidelines (n.) bimonthly black blood glucose (n., adj.) blood pressure blood sugar (n., adj.) board admissible board certified, board-certified (adj.) board eligible board of directors, Board of Directors body mass index (BMI) boldface bone marrow (n., adj.) brackets and parentheses brand names breastfed, breastfeed breast milk brokers bulleted text bullets back up (v.), backup (n., adj.) back up (v.), backup (n., adj.) John will back up Teresa as the lead on the project. John is the backup on the project. John is the backup project lead. Back to B because, since because/since Use because to show a cause-effect relationship. She walked 30 minutes every day because it was good for her health. Use since to show a period of time. They've been friends since the first grade. Back to B behavioral health care services behavioral health care services Umbrella term used to describe services provided by our Psychiatry, Mental Health, Behavioral Health, Addiction Medicine, and Chemical Dependency Services Departments. Back to B below below See above, below. Back to B benefit summary, Benefit Summary benefit summary, Benefit Summary Initial cap only when used as actual title of printed document. Note singular benefit. Back to B benefits benefits Usually plural in form when pertaining to health plan or insurance coverage. benefits package, benefits coverage, health plan benefits, benefits manager. Back to B best-practices guidelines (n.) best-practices guidelines (n.) Note plural practices. Back to B bimonthly bimonthly Avoid using because readers will not know if you mean once every two months or twice a month. Use once every two months or twice a month. Back to B black black Always preferred over African-American unless specific people describe themselves as African-American or you are talking about a specific population. See also African-American, Caucasian. Back to B blood glucose (n., adj.) blood glucose (n., adj.) No hyphen when used as a noun or an adjective. The patient should have his blood glucose (or blood sugar) tested. A blood glucose monitor was used to determine his blood sugar level. Back to B blood pressure blood pressure Use a slash between the two numbers. You don't need to include mmHg. My blood pressure went from 140/110 to 115/70. For Web content, consider repeating the blood pressure reading in parentheses. This can make it easier for visually impaired users employing screen readers, which read all website copy out loud, to understand the information when it's spelled out exactly as most doctors say it. A high blood pressure reading is between 160/100 (160 over 100). blood sugar (n., adj.) blood sugar (n., adj.) No hyphen when used as a noun or an adjective. The patient should have his blood glucose (or blood sugar) tested. A blood glucose monitor was used to determine his blood sugar level. Back to B board admissible board admissible See board eligible. Back to B board certified, board-certified (adj.) board certified, board-certified (adj.) Board-certified physicians are physicians who have completed years of training in their specialty, such as cardiology or obstetrics, and then passed the required certification test. Hyphenate only when preceding a noun. Our board-certified physicians are evaluated annually. Our physicians are board certified. Back to B board eligible board eligible Board-eligible physicians have been approved by their specialty board to sit for the board-certification examination. Avoid this term in member and consumer communications because it is not used by those outside the medical profession and could be misconstrued (i.e., a member could think a board-eligible physician is actually board-certified). Back to B board of directors, Board of Directors board of directors, Board of Directors Lowercase when used generically. Capitalize only when citing the full, formal name. The board of directors will meet next Monday. The Permanente Medical Group Board of Directors will meet next Monday. Back to B body mass index (BMI) body mass index (BMI) Lowercase, no hyphen. Spell out in first reference. BMI is acceptable on subsequent references. Back to B boldface boldface (print style) When copy is set in boldface, any punctuation that directly precedes or follows it (quotation marks, parentheses, commas, periods, etc.) should also be boldface. Note: Copayments may be different for Medicare members. Exception: Do not boldface punctuation marks immediately following a boldface Web address. Order your prescriptions online at kp.org. Back to B boldface (Web style) Boldface should be used sparingly. However, it may be used for urgent messages or to identify a question on "frequently asked questions" (FAQ) pages. When copy is set in boldface, any punctuation that directly precedes or follows it (quotation marks, parentheses, commas, periods, etc.) should also be boldface. Note: Copayments may be different for Medicare members. Links Links that stand alone may be bolded for emphasis. Do not use boldface for links that appear within text. Back to B bone marrow (n., adj.) bone marrow (n., adj.) Do not hyphenate when used as a noun or as an adjective preceding a noun. The donor has healthy bone marrow. He received a bone marrow transplant. Back to B brackets and parentheses brackets and parentheses Parentheses are preferable to brackets in body copy. Use brackets, when necessary, to demarcate copy within parentheses. However, for better reader comprehension, try to avoid this complicated construction and attempt a rewrite whenever possible. Back to B brand names brand names Capitalize brand names; lowercase generic names. Webster's Collegiate Dictionary lists generic names and some brand names. Brand name: Advil Generic name: ibuprofen Kaiser Permanente does not endorse brand-name products, although it is sometimes useful to cite them. When citing brand names, use the following statement: Kaiser Permanente does not endorse the medications or products mentioned. Any trade names listed are for easy identification only. Trademark and service mark symbols are not required with non----Kaiser Permanente brand names unless required in contractual agreements with specific companies. Please see individual product name entries for guidance. See also trademarks, service marks, HealthMedia. Back to B breastfed, breastfeed breastfed, breastfeed One word. Back to B breast milk breast milk Two words. Back to B brokers brokers Lowercase. Back to B bulleted text bulleted text See lists. Back to B bullets Bullets See main style guide entry for lists (bulleted) Back to B C C California (regions) capitalization capitation captions caregiver care management Care Management Institute (CMI) CarePay® Caucasian cellphone center of excellence, Center of Excellence Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) certified nurse-midwife (CNM) certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) cesarean section (C-section), cesarean birth check in (v.), check-in (n. and adj.) checkup (n., adj.), check up (v.) chickenpox chi gong child care (n., adj.) ChooseHealthy™ chronic condition, chronic disease city city names click here client clinic clinical assistant clinical practice guidelines, Clinical Practice Guidelines clinician coinsurance colon Colorado (region) comma community providers Complete Care compose, comprise comprehensive care congestive heart failure Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) consumer-directed health care (CDHC) Consumer Reports magazine continually, continuously continues on, continued from copayment copyright notice Corporate or corporate America cost share (n.), cost sharing (n.), cost-sharing (adj.) county co-worker credentials, certifications CT scan Custom Care customer California (regions) California (regions) Preferred use of health plan names Kaiser Permanente in California Kaiser Permanente Northern California Kaiser Permanente Southern California Abbreviations for internal communications only KP KPNC KPSC Legal names Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Areas of service for commercial plans Northern California: San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Stockton, Fresno, and Modesto Southern California: Major metropolitan areas from Bakersfield to San Diego Medical groups Southern California Permanente Medical Group The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. (always capitalize The) See California Regions under KP Regions, Health Plans and Medical Groups. Back to C capitalization capitalization Generally, limit use of capitalization to proper names and acronyms. Formal titles of regions, departments, committees, and programs should be capitalized. Right: Pediatrics Department Wrong: pediatrics department Do not capitalize the names of diseases, such as arthritis, emphysema, leukemia, anthrax, and pneumonia, unless the disease is known by the name of the person identified with it (i.e., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease). Do not capitalize contracts or Evidence of Coverage terminology, such as group, member, or service agreement, when using that terminology in other communications. Do not use all caps or small caps for emphasis (unless required by legal); use italics or boldface. On the Web, boldface is preferred over italics. Table headings: Use initial capitalization, not title capitalization, in table headings. With punctuation When punctuation, such as a slash ( / ), is used to offer choices or to separate alternatives (usually representing the words and/or or or), lowercase the word that appears after the slash. This does not apply to department names. Right: Group/company name Allergy/Immunology Department Wrong: Agency/Company name Allergy/immunology department See also specific categories, e.g., academic degrees, addresses, board of directors, brand names, department names, diseases, health plan, titles. Back to C capitation capitation A stipulated dollar amount established to cover the cost of specified health care delivered to a person. Avoid using this term unless the context requires it and it is clearly explained. Back to C captions captions All captions in one document should be either fragments (no period at the end) or complete sentences (with a period at the end). Sally Smith poses with her award-winning pumpkin. Sally Smith and pumpkin If a caption has more than one phrase or sentence, use periods. From left: Sally, Susie, and Sukey.Back row, from left: Bob and Bill. Verb tense also should be consistent in captions. Present tense is preferred, except when the subject would render present tense odd. Dr. Heidsieck practices at Salmon Creek Medical Office. (Present tense for action that is happening right now, but may or may not have happened in the past, and may not happen in the future.) Joyce King was a participant in the Starring Healthy Babies Program. (Past tense for actions that happened in the past, but that aren't true now, such as this example of a caption accompanying a picture of mother and newborn, obviously no longer a participant in the at-risk pregnancy program.) Henry Austin has been a Kaiser Permanente member since 1994. (Present perfect tense for action that began in the past, is happening in the present, but may not continue in the future.) Pat Smith ceremonially begins work on Orchards Medical Office, which will be completed in two years. (Present progressive tense for action that is happening now and will continue into the future.) All numbers within captions are set in figures (even those from one to nine that are normally spelled out). Dr. Nicholson has practiced at Kaiser Permanente for the past 8 years. Terms such as top, bottom, left, right, above, and below are italicized. Above left: George Hopkins, MD; right, Mary Smith, MD; below left, Janet Keig, RN; right, Frank Hill Dr. Jones, left, and Dr. Stevens formally open the new pediatrics wing Captions are more useful if they contain information relating to text, instead of merely labeling what is in the photograph. Acceptable: Dr. Lee Dykstra Better: Dr. Lee Dykstra was voted Outstanding Physician of the Year by his peers at Kaiser Permanente. Back to C caregiver caregiver One word. Back to C care management care management Lowercase. Coordinated health care for specific member populations, such as people with diabetes or asthma, that focuses on aggressive prevention and health maintenance strategies designed specifically for that population. Also referred to as disease management. Avoid using this term for member or consumer audiences, as it can sound clinical and institutional. See also Kaiser Permanente Complete Care. Back to C Care Management Institute (CMI) Care Management Institute (CMI) The Care Management Institute, a partnership between the Permanente Medical Groups and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, synthesizes knowledge on the best clinical practices to develop integrated care management programs. It serves as a gathering point for coordinated learning and the study of evidence-based approaches to superior clinical performance. Created in 1997, the Care Management Institute provides Kaiser Permanente with resources and capabilities to ensure delivery of the highest quality and safest patient-centered care possible. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to C CarePay® CarePay® Former brand name of financial components of Kaiser Permanente's suite of consumer-directed health care products. The CarePay name is no longer in use. Back to C Caucasian Caucasian Always capitalize. Use Caucasian when identifying a population in a medical or other research study, or other similar reference. It is always capitalized because it is derived from a geographic region, Caucasus. Use white when identifying ethnicity generally, just as you would use black. Right: In general, Caucasian men have heart disease at rates lower than for other ethnic groups. Right: Both black and white staff and physicians attended the workshop See also white Back to C cellphone cellphone Use preferred terms mobile phone, smartphone, or mobile device (depending on device capabilities). Back to C center of excellence, Center of Excellence center of excellence, Center of Excellence Initial-capped only when referring to a specific Kaiser Permanente facility. The sickle cell program at our West Los Angeles Medical Center has been designated a center of excellence. The Sickle Cell Center of Excellence at West Los Angeles Medical Center is excellent. Kaiser Permanente has both external and internal centers of excellence that provide specialized care, including transplants, for members who need procedures not performed within Kaiser Permanente. These centers of excellence are located at premier medical centers that are known nationally for their expertise in particular clinical areas. Successful outcomes are predictably high, due to the volume of procedures performed and the experience of the clinicians. Back to C Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) The U.S. Public Health Service's national agency for control of infectious and other preventable diseases. The CDC works with state health departments to provide specialized services that the states are unable to maintain on an everyday basis. Formerly called Centers for Disease Control. Considered a singular entity and takes a singular verb. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is located in Atlanta. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to C Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services that administers Medicare and oversees states' administration of Medicaid. Formerly known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. CMS takes a singular, not a plural verb form. Right: CMS oversees the Medicare program. Wrong: CMS oversee the Medicare program. Back to C certified nurse-midwife (CNM) certified nurse-midwife (CNM) See nurse-midwife (NM). Back to C certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) A registered nurse who has completed additional course work in anesthesia and graduated from a nurse anesthesia educational program accredited by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) and the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthetists Educational Programs or its predecessor. Working in conjunction with a qualified physician, the CRNA administers anesthetics during surgical operations, childbirth, and other medical and dental procedures. Back to C cesarean section (C-section), cesarean birth cesarean section (C-section), cesarean birth Use cesarean section on first reference. C-section may be used thereafter, with the C capitalized. Cesarean birth is preferred in health education materials. Back to C check in (v.), check-in (n. and adj.) check in, check-in Two words with no hyphen when used as a verb. Check in at the front desk when you first arrive for your appointment. Hyphenate when used as a noun or adjective. His check-in on the Foursquare app was seen by his friends. (noun) His check-in time was moved forward by an hour. (adjective) checkup (n., adj.), check up (v.) checkup (n., adj.), check up (v.) One word, no hyphen, when used as a noun or adjective. She's due for her well-baby checkup. Two words when used as a verb. Your physician will check up on you after your surgery. Back to C chickenpox chickenpox One word. Back to C chi gong chi gong Lowercase. An ancient self-healing art form that focuses on the repetitive practice of simple movements. Also called qi gong, chi gung, and chi kung. Back to C child care (n., adj.) child care (n., adj.) Two words, no hyphen, in all cases. The company provides child care. The company offers a child care program. Back to C ChooseHealthy™ ChooseHealthy™ One word. Formerly HealthyRoads. Use trademark symbol on first reference. A complementary health program offered to Kaiser Permanente members through the American Specialty Health (ASH) network. Members can get discounts on care by chiropractors, acupuncturists, and massage therapists, as well as health-related products from the ChooseHealthy website. Members also can receive preferred rates at to ASH's national network of fitness clubs. See American Specialty Health, Inc. (ASH). Back to C chronic condition, chronic disease chronic condition, chronic disease Avoid using these terms in member/consumer communications, as they can sound clinical and institutional. Instead, use ongoing condition. Back to C city city Capitalize city only when it is part of the official name of a city, organization, or political body. The Los Angeles City Council, Salt Lake City, the city of Portland Capitalize widely recognized names for sections of a city. Lower East Side, East Los Angeles, Old Pasadena See also geographic terms. Back to C city names city names Major United States cities can stand alone in copy without a state identifier if the population of each city, the population of its metropolitan region, the frequency of the city's appearance in the news, the uniqueness of its name, and experience has shown the name to be almost synonymous with the state where it is located. Refer to AP Style's "dateline" entry for specific cities. Exception to AP style: Washington, D.C. should not be identified as "Washington." It may be referred to as "D.C." upon second reference. See also Washington, D.C. and District of Columbia. Back to C click here Avoid using this phrase as a link. Because Web users tend to scan for links, try to make the link meaningful on its own. Meaningful links are also important for accessibility reasons. Right: Learn about Kaiser Permanente's roots in California. Wrong: Click here to learn about Kaiser Permanente's history. client client In national publications, do not use client to refer to Kaiser Permanente members because it implies a business relationship rather than a health care relationship. See also customer, employer, member, purchaser. Back to C clinic clinic This term can have negative connotations for some audiences, so avoid using it to describe a Kaiser Permanente facility unless it is part of the proper name of a specific unit or facility. Instead, use the generic medical facility, medical center, or medical office as appropriate for your region, or the full name of the facility (Carlsbad Medical Offices). Exception: In Hawaii, clinic preferred for freestanding outpatient facilities. See also medical office. Back to C clinical assistant clinical assistant Term for medical assistant in the Mid-Atlantic States region. Back to C clinical practice guidelines, Clinical Practice Guidelines clinical practice guidelines, Clinical Practice Guidelines Do not italicize. Capitalize if referring to specific Kaiser Permanente guidelines; lowercase when used generically. Our clinical practice guidelines Southern California Clinical Practice Guidelines clinician clinician Can be used to refer to a physician or other health care professional. See also doctor, physician, practitioner, provider. Back to C coinsurance coinsurance Not co-insurance. Back to C colon colon Use a colon to introduce a list or a series. However, do not use a colon to separate a verb or preposition from its object, or if the sentence reads as grammatically correct without a colon. Right: The speakers will be heard in this order: Dr. Sears, Dr. Colburn, Mr. Jackson. Wrong: Tonight we will hear: Dr. Sears, Dr. Colburn, and Mr. Jackson. When a complete sentence follows the colon, the initial word should be capitalized. When a fragment follows, it should be lowercased. Our company has this motto: The customer is always right. This is our company's greatest concern: our customer. Exception: In headlines, the initial word following a colon may be capitalized. Kaiser Permanente: A tradition of quality care A colon at the end of a phrase introducing a list is acceptable, even if that phrase is not a full sentence, such as in the following example: Benefits of joining Kaiser Permanente include: See main style-guide entry for lists (bulleted). Back to C Colorado (region) Colorado (region) Preferred use of health plan name Kaiser Permanente Colorado Legal name Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado Areas of service for commercial plans Denver, Boulder, Longmont, Colorado Springs and Pueblo Medical group Colorado Permanente Medical Group, P.C. Back to C comma comma In a series listing three or more elements, use a comma before the conjunction joining the last two elements. (Kaiser Permanente departs from Associated Press style by preferring the serial comma.) Residents have four-week rotations in orthopedics, physical medicine, and surgery. Side effects may include headache, nausea, or dizziness. Use a comma between the surname and initials designating a professional title. Penny Wood, RN; Frank E. Murray, MD; Donna Smith, CPNP Use a comma before and after the name of a state. His records were mailed from our Fairfax, Virginia, office. Exception: When writing a media-facing communication, follow AP Style and omit the serial comma in simple lists. Back to C community providers community providers Lowercase. Never use Kaiser Permanente before this term, as in Kaiser Permanente community providers, due to legal liability. Complete Care Complete Care See Kaiser Permanente Complete Care. Back to C compose, comprise compose, comprise Compose means to create or put together. It may be correctly used in either the active or passive voice. He composed a song. The medical group is composed of 2,000 physicians. Comprise means to contain, to include all, or to embrace. Always use in the active voice. Right: More than 2,000 physicians comprise the medical group. Wrong: The medical group is comprised of 2,000 physicians. To determine if you are using compose and comprise correctly, use the following guide: The whole is composed of the many. The many comprise the whole. Back to C comprehensive care comprehensive care Do not use this term as a blanket statement for all care provided by Kaiser Permanente. Comprehensive care includes a broad range of necessary medical services that have proven effective for diagnosing and treating certain diseases. It does not include experimental, complementary, or alternative care methods. However, you may use it when discussing certain disease paths. Kaiser Permanente offers comprehensive care for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Do not substitute benefits for care in comprehensive care. Back to C congestive heart failure congestive heart failure Use heart failure in health education materials. Back to C Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) Federal law that permits certain people who lose eligibility under a group health plan to continue that coverage for a limited time without lapse. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Cal-COBRA is a California state law that complements COBRA. Note the hyphen. Back to C consumer-directed health care (CDHC) consumer-directed health care (CDHC) Not consumer-driven health care. A range of health care products that generally offer higher deductibles coupled with tax-advantaged financial tools such as health savings or health reimbursement arrangement accounts. Members can use these tools to pay deductibles and authorized medical expenses. Do not use this term for member or prospective member audiences because it is an industry term most people are not familiar with. Acceptable for employer and broker audiences; acronym acceptable on subsequent references. Using the acronym on all subsequent references, however, can be "jargony" and distracting. Consider using the full phrase on first reference in major sections of longer documents. Back to C Consumer Reports magazine Consumer Reports magazine Do not refer by name to Consumer Reports, Consumers Union (the magazine's publisher), "Consumer Reports Online," or the Consumers Union website. When referencing content from articles and studies published in Consumer Reports, refer to the source as America's leading consumer magazine. Back to C continually, continuously continually/continuously Continually means repeatedly with breaks in between: Sheila has to wind her alarm clock continually to keep it running continuously. Continuously means without interruption, in an unbroken stream: A continuous stretch of windy road lay before them. Back to C continues on, continued from continues on, continued from (print style) See jump heads. Back to C continues on, continued from (Web style) Avoid using continues on... or continued from... in Web text. If content on a particular page is long, and would be better served on multiple pages, divide the content into topics and create a link to the additional text. Back to C copayment copayment The abbreviation copay is acceptable in all references, but the full word copayment is preferred on first reference. For online communications, copay is used for space considerations and on second reference. Back to C copyright notice copyright notice Use the following notice in publications written and published by Kaiser Permanente (including PDFs published online), changing the year and the health plan name as needed. ©2009 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Do not use ©2009 Kaiser Permanente. Do not put a Kaiser Permanente copyright notice on materials that were wholly created by a non-Kaiser Permanente entity. If a publication incorporates both Kaiser Permanente material and material created by another party, permission should be obtained from and credit given to the non-Kaiser Permanente author. Back to C Corporate or corporate America corporate/Corporate America Both forms are correct, depending on the writer's intentions. In the majoriy of instances, "corporate" should be lower case, as is the case with most adjectives modifying a proper noun. This policy has yet to find favor within organized labor or corporate America. However, in a few instances the phrase is used as a personification. Then it should be "Corporate." This policy has yet to find favor within Big Oil or Corporate America. cost share (n.), cost sharing (n.), cost-sharing (adj.) cost share (n.), cost sharing (n.), cost-sharing (adj.) Reserve this terminology for business and employer/broker audiences. For member and consumer audiences, use the relevant term copay or coinsurance if discussing specific cost share. When referencing cost sharing in general, use a less businesslike term, such as your share of the cost. Back to C county county Capitalize county only when it is part of the official name of a county or organization. Orange County, the county of Hennepin, the County Commission Lowercase the plural. Westchester and Rockland counties. See also geographic terms. Back to C co-worker co-worker Hyphenate. Back to C credentials, certifications credentials, certifications See academic degrees, titles of persons. Back to C CT scan CT scan Computed tomography scan. Formerly CAT scan. Abbreviation may be used without spelling out in first reference. Back to C Custom Care Custom Care This name is no longer used for Kaiser Permanente's suite of consumer-directed health care products. Back to C customer customer In national publications, do not use customer to refer to Kaiser Permanente members, as it implies a business relationship rather than a health care relationship. See also client, employer, member, purchaser. Back to C D D dash dates day care days deaf deductible degrees, academic degrees, temperature department names Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) DHMO diabetes diagnostic imaging, radiology die of dietitian dimensions diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP and Tdap) vaccines directions disabilities disc, disk, diskette discount, discount programs disease management diseases District of Columbia division do's and don'ts doctor doctor appointment(s), doctor visit(s), doctor's office doctor of optometry, optometrist (OD) doctor of osteopathy, osteopath (DO) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) doctor of philosophy (PhD) doctor of psychology (PsyD) dollar amounts Down syndrome drug encyclopedia drugs dues durable medical equipment (DME) durable power of attorney for health care dash dash (print style) Back to D dash (Web style) See also hyphen. Back to D Dash test2 dash (print style) em dash --An em dash is used to designate an interruption or break in a thought or phrase, such as an aside or an interjection. Use a space on either side of the dash. Will he — can he — obtain the necessary signatures? An em dash is also used to introduce a digression or an explanation for emphasis. The physician spent much time explaining the operation — an operation that would, he hoped, put an end to the pain. Do not use two hyphens (--) in place of an em dash. en dash -Use the en dash to connect continuing or inclusive numbers, such as dates, times, or reference numbers. No spaces around the en dash. May-June 2010; 10 a.m.2 p.m.; pages 38-45 Use the en dash to join prefixes to open compound nouns (two words that are considered a unit). non--Kaiser Permanente hospital A hyphen is smaller than an en dash; they should not be used interchangeably. dates dates Do not use an apostrophe between a decade and the s. Right: 1950s Wrong: 1950's Use figures and an initial apostrophe when the century is omitted. Right: The '60s Wrong: The 60s, the 60's Do not use -st, -nd, -rd, or -th with dates. Right: June 3, 1982 Wrong: June 3rd, 1982 A comma separates the day from the year and the year from the rest of the sentence. The minutes were from the April 4, 1998, meeting. When a month and year appear alone, no comma is needed. April 1998 In running text, spell out months and days. Right: They got married on Tuesday, January 4. Wrong: They got married on Tues., Jan. 4. In Web copy, do not use a dash to indicate a span of time. For accessibility reasons, we are required instead to use to or through. Wrong: May 5–10 Right: May 5 to 10 Use nd, th only when the numeral precedes the month. Do not use superscript. Right: The 24th of September Right: September 24 If your version of Microsoft Word automatically superscripts nd, rd, and th, make sure your AutoCorrect preferences are not set to "replace ordinals with superscript." Go to Tools>AutoCorrect>AutoFormat As You Type. See also months. Back to D day care day care Two words, no hyphen, in all cases. Back to D days Do not abbreviate days of the week in text, unless necessary for space considerations (as in tables). Right: Friday, Sunday Wrong: F, Sun. In Web copy, when signifying a range with days of the week, use through and spell out the days. The clinic is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time. deaf deaf Generally used for people who are totally without hearing. Hard of hearing, not hearing impaired, is the correct term for people who have a limited ability to hear. See also disabilities, TTY. Back to D deductible deductible The amount an insured person pays for covered services within a calendar year before an insurance carrier provides those services at a copayment or coinsurance. Back to D degrees, academic degrees, academic See academic degrees. Back to D degrees, temperature degrees, temperature See temperature. Back to D department names department names Capitalize the formal names of departments. Member Services Department, Podiatry Department, Pediatrics and Podiatry Departments, Department of Internal Medicine When referring to a medical specialty, however, lowercase the term: He is board certified in podiatry. When referring to department names in general, lowercase. The psychiatry departments at our medical centers. Capitalize the names of departments when referencing titles (lowercase titles): Dave Briar, director, Product Development See also medical specialties. Back to D Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Government agency that provides medical services, assistance with housing in the form of home loans, and education benefits to veterans. Formerly known as the Veterans Administration. No apostrophe. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to D DHMO DHMO Kaiser Permanente's deductible HMO product line. Do not use DHMO with member or prospective member audiences; instead use our deductible products. Acceptable for use with external business audiences: Use Deductible HMO as first reference and DHMO in second and subsequent references. Back to D diabetes diabetes Lowercase, Arabic numerals. Right: type 1 and type 2 diabetes Wrong: Type I and Type II diabetes Back to D diagnostic imaging, radiology diagnostic imaging, radiology Radiology refers to noninvasive studies of the body using radiation, such as X-ray and CT. Diagnostic imaging is a broader term that includes newer modalities that don't use radiation, such as MRI and ultrasound. Back to D die of die of Not die from. Back to D dietitian dietitian Not dietician. Back to D dimensions dimensions See measurements. Back to D diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP and Tdap) vaccines diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP/Tdap) vaccines The DTaP vaccine is used to immunize children up to age 7 against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Tdap is a slightly different version of the vaccine and is for adolescents, teenagers, and adults 10 years and older. The DTaP vaccine is a new version of the DTP vaccine (which is no longer in use in the United States) and is less likely to cause some of the immediate side effects that could occur after a DTP vaccine. NOTE: “DTaP” and “Tdap” with upper- and lower-case variations are correct; Tdap vaccine should be spelled out as "tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis" vaccine. Back to D directions directions See geographic terms. Back to D disabilities disabilities Use "person-first" language and avoid using adjectives when describing a person or people with a disability. Right: We offer TTY services for members who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired. The ramp is for people with disabilities. He has a disability. Wrong: We offer TTY services for deaf members. We offer TTY services for the deaf. She is diabetic. He is disabled. These are examples of appropriate ways to describe people with disabilities: • person with a disability (not disabled people or the disabled) • people who are physically impaired • members who are blind • people with AIDS (not AIDS victims) • people with a developmental disability (not challenged or retarded) • persons with diabetes (not diabetics or persons suffering from diabetes) Do not use these terms when referring to people with disabilities: • crippled • lame • retarded • deaf and dumb • wheelchair-bound • suffering from • afflicted with • stricken with • victim of For more detailed information on writing about people with disabilities, refer to the National Organization on Disability at nod.org. Back to D disc, disk, diskette disc, disk, diskette Use the preferred spelling disk for most situations. Herniated disk, intervertebral disk, hard disk, fixed disk, disk drive, magnetic disk storage device Use the spelling disc only for the following: compact disc, disc brake, disc jockey, laserdisc, and videodisc. Use the word diskette only when referring to floppy diskette (it is not synonymous with disk). Back to D discount, discount programs discount, discount programs The Department of Managed Health Care, our California regulator of health plans under the Knox-Keene Act, claims that using discount to describe member programs could be considered an unfair enticement for nonmembers to join Kaiser Permanente. Do not use discount to describe gym memberships, optical services, acupuncture, massage, etc. Online "My health manager" features and HealthMedia programs are not considered discount member programs. disease management disease management See care management. Back to D diseases diseases Do not capitalize the names of diseases, such as arthritis, emphysema, leukemia, anthrax, and pneumonia, unless the disease is known by the name of the person identified with it (i.e., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease). When a disease is known by the name of a person identified with it, capitalize only the individual's name. Do not use the individual's name alone. Right: She was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome. Parkinson's disease is a disorder of the brain. Wrong: Early diagnosis and treatment can help with the symptoms of Alzheimer's. Back to D District of Columbia District of Columbia Abbreviate as D.C. with periods when used in conjunction with Washington. Right: The meeting was held in Washington, D.C. Right: Kaiser Permanente has facilities in nine states and the District of Columbia. See also Washington, D.C. Back to D division division Kaiser Permanente no longer refers to specific geographical areas of the Program as divisions. See region. Back to D doctor doctor Physician is generally the preferred term. Doctor can be used instead of physician if copy has made clear that you're talking about a doctor of medicine (MD) or osteopathy (OD) and not a chiropractor or PhD in another discipline. Doctor is preferred when needed to accurately reflect verbiage of certain offerings, such as "Email your doctor's office." See also clinician, health care professional, medical professional, physician, practitioner, provider. Back to D doctor appointment(s), doctor visit(s), doctor's office doctor appointment(s), doctor visit(s), doctor's office Not doctor's appointment or doctor's visit. These are colloquial and in common use, but grammatically incorrect. Although doctor appointment and doctor visit are grammatically correct, they can read awkwardly. Recast the sentence whenever possible to avoid this construction. But doctor's office is correct because it is a possessive (the office of the doctor). Back to D doctor of optometry, optometrist (OD) doctor of optometry, optometrist (OD) Person trained and licensed to examine and test the eyes and to treat visual defects by prescribing corrective lenses and other optical aids. See also ophthalmologist. Back to D doctor of osteopathy, osteopath (DO) doctor of osteopathy, osteopath (DO) Licensed physicians who diagnose and treat medical conditions, prescribe drugs, and perform surgery. Like medical doctors, osteopaths have a four-year undergraduate degree with an emphasis on science courses, and complete four years of basic medical education, an internship, and possibly a residency in a specialty area of medicine. In addition, osteopaths receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system and place a greater emphasis on understanding the relationship between the organs, muscles, nerves, tissues, bones (such as those that surround the spine), and tendons, than on traditional medical training. Osteopaths, like medical doctors, must also pass state licensing examinations. Osteopaths practice a "whole person" approach to medicine and focus on preventive health care. See also osteopathy. Back to D doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) Person who has completed a six-year course of study at a university-level school of pharmacy and is licensed to prepare, preserve, compound, and dispense medical drugs. Back to D doctor of philosophy (PhD) doctor of philosophy (PhD) Degree granted to someone who has undertaken original research in a special subject field in the sciences or humanities, passed the required examinations, and prepared and successfully defended a thesis based on original research that makes a significant contribution to knowledge in the field. Back to D doctor of psychology (PsyD) doctor of psychology (PsyD) Doctorate degree in psychology that focuses more on clinical practice than research. Back to D dollar amounts dollar amounts See money. Back to D do's and don'ts do's and don'ts Use apostrophes in both words. Back to D Down syndrome Down syndrome Chromosomal disorder first reported in 1866 by Dr. J. Langdon Down. Not Down's syndrome or mongolism. Back to D drug encyclopedia drug encyclopedia When referring to the drug encyclopedia feature on kaiserpermanente.org, lowercase except when it is the first word in a sentence or heading, in which case use sentence style, with Drug capitalized. Although the drug encyclopedia is not owned by Kaiser Permanente, it is acceptable to call it our drug encyclopedia, but not Kaiser Permanente drug encyclopedia. drugs drugs Drugs or medications are the preferred terms, although medicines may be used if the words drugs or medications are repeated several times close together in text. Avoid using the word kill when referring to drug actions. Use halt or suppress instead. Right: The drug did not suppress the virus. Wrong: The drug did not kill the virus. Back to D dues dues Do not use for any audience when referring to members' payments for coverage or employers' payments to Kaiser Permanente. Research indicates this term is perceived as contrived and misleading. See also premiums, rates. Back to D durable medical equipment (DME) durable medical equipment (DME) Equipment that can stand repeated use, is primarily and customarily used to serve a medical purpose during illness or injury, and is appropriate for use at home. Examples include hospital beds, wheelchairs, and oxygen equipment. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to D durable power of attorney for health care durable power of attorney for health care See advance directives. Back to D E E ee.g. each other, one another ECG, EKG (electrocardiography, electrocardiogram) ECHO (echocardiography) Educational Theatre Program effect either elder care electronic health record (EHR) electronic medical record ellipsis ( ... ) email (n., v.) email my doctor, email your doctor's office em dash emergency Emergency Department emergency medical technician (EMT) employer en dash end-stage renal disease (ESRD) ensure, insure, assure enterprisewide epidemiology esthetician etc. ethnicity, nationality, and race euphemisms eValue8 ™ evidence-based medicine evidence of coverage (EOC), Evidence of Coverage (EOC) excellent exclamation point explanation of benefits (EOB) extension or ext. extranet eye care eyeglasses eyewear ee- Prefix meaning electronic. Hyphenate in most instances: e-newsletter, e-commerce; do not hyphenate email. Back to E each other, one another each other, one another Two people look at each other. More than two people look at one another. The two sisters help each other. We interns help one another. Either phrase may be used when the number is indefinite. We help each other. We help one another. Back to E ECG, EKG (electrocardiography, electrocardiogram) ECG, EKG (electrocardiography, electrocardiogram) Device for recording changes in the electrical energy produced by the action of heart muscles. Used to diagnose abnormal cardiac rhythm and myocardial damage. Spell out on first reference; acronym OK on subsequent uses. Both forms acceptable. Back to E ECHO (echocardiography) ECHO (echocardiography, electrocardiogram) Ultrasound image of the structure of the heart. Used to detect structural abnormalities of the heart wall, valves, and blood vessels. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to E Educational Theatre Program Educational Theatre Program Theatre is spelled with an re when part of the program name. When theater is used generically, it is spelled with an er. Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Programs brings free theatrical programs to schools and communities. The play was performed at a local community theater. In the Southern California Region, the program’s official name is Educational Theatre. effect effect See affect/effect. Back to E e.g. e.g. Exempli gratia, meaning "for example." Avoid using in external communications, if possible. Use for example instead. Comma follows. The vet specializes in small animals (e.g., cats, birds, and small dogs).The vet specializes in small animals; for example, cats, birds, and small dogs. Back to E either either Often used inappropriately for both or each. Wrong: There were flowers on either side of the path. Right: There were flowers on each side of the path. Right: There were flowers on both sides of the path. Right: You can plant flowers on either side of the path. Back to E elder care elder care Two words. Back to E electronic health record (EHR) electronic health record (EHR) An electronic patient history; Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect® is one example. Electronic health record is the most inclusive term, encompassing both the electronic medical record (referencing the clinical record) and the personal health record (referencing the patient-facing record). When referencing a member's record, use electronic health record. When referring to Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect, use electronic health record system. Do not initial cap; do not use periods in the acronym. Example: She joined Kaiser Permanente because of their electronic health record (EHR) system. Your team has access to your electronic health record when receiving care at Kaiser Permanente facilities. See also Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect® Back to E electronic medical record electronic medical record (EMR) An electronic patient history. Electronic medical record refers to the clinical patient record used by caregivers. Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect® should be referred to as an electronic health record, because it is made up of both an electronic medical record (referencing the clinical record) and a personal health record (referencing the patient-facing record). Lowercase in a sentence; do not use periods in the acronym. Example: Kaiser Permanente was one of the first health systems to use an electronic medical record (EMR). Back to E ellipsis ( ... ) ellipsis ( ... ) An ellipsis is a row of three dots that indicates an omission of words within a sentence or between sentences. It can also be used to indicate a pause for emphasis. Also, use a terminal period with the ellipsis when you are ending a sentence. If you are using the ellipses at the end of a sentence for a trailing thought, do not use a period. Note: When using an ellipsis, insert spaces on either side of the ellipsis. Trailing thoughts (do not use a period): They said the elements included ... a variety of attributes. And now, announcing a breakthrough in savings ... Ending a sentence (use a period): It was said that the ends justified the means. ... Our resources limited the results. "According to the IRS instructions, the limitations on lines 5 and 11 apply to the taxpayer. ... If you have more than one business, you may allocate an expense deduction." Back to E email (n., v.) email (n., v.) Lowercase; no hyphen. Do not italicize, underline, or capitalize any part of email addresses in text. For easy reference in text, single email addresses may be bolded or colorized if it does not create a visual distraction on the page. Back to E email my doctor, email your doctor's office email my doctor, email your doctor's office No hyphen in email. Exact wording varies by region; check kaiserpermanente.org for current usage examples. em dash em dash See dash. Back to E emergency emergency Do not use emergent care. The definition of what constitutes an emergency and the guidelines for communicating this may vary from one Kaiser Permanente region to another; therefore, be sure you are defining the term correctly for your particular audience. Avoid phrases like We provide emergency care. Use We provide coverage for emergency treatment. When possible, add See your plan documents for details and limitations. Back to E Emergency Department Emergency Department Use Emergency Department, not emergency room or ER. Do not use the acronym (ED) in external publications; spell it out. "Emergency room" should appear only in instances, such as advertorials, where the patient voice is used (since most consumers do not naturally employ the term "emergency department"). Formal names of departments are capitalized. When referring to department names in general, lowercase. See also department names. Back to E emergency medical technician (EMT) emergency medical technician (EMT) Specially trained medical technician licensed to provide basic emergency services before and during transportation to a hospital. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to E employer employer Used to describe companies that purchase Kaiser Permanente health plans for their employees. Do not use purchaser externally because that term refers to how KP sees employers, not how they see themselves. See also purchaser. Back to E en dash en dash (print style) See dash. Back to E en dash (Web style) Do not use en dashes on kp.org. See dash. Back to E end-stage renal disease (ESRD) end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Advanced kidney disease or renal impairment, which is almost always irreversible. People with ESRD require dialysis or kidney transplantation to survive. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to E ensure, insure, assure ensure, insure, assure Avoid these terms, since they may imply a legal guarantee. Depending on the context, use allow, provide, strive to provide, designed to promote, or promotes. If you must use these terms, use them as follows: Use ensure to mean "guarantee" or "make sure." We took steps to ensure the accuracy of the document. Use insure for references to insurance. The policy insures his life. Use assure for removing doubt and informing positively. He assured me that he would be on time. Back to E enterprisewide enterprisewide Do not use to describe Kaiser Permanente. Preferred term is Programwide (for internal use only). See Programwide. Back to E epidemiology epidemiology Study of how disease is distributed in populations and of the factors that influence or determine this distribution. Back to E esthetician esthetician Not aesthetician. Back to E etc. etc. Should be set off by commas. Use sparingly. It had all the marks of a true city: crime, smog, traffic, etc., but no 24-hour coffee shop was in sight. Do not use etc. in a list of examples when you are also using such as, because it is redundant. Right: painkillers such as ibuprofen and aspirin Wrong: painkillers such as ibuprofen, aspirin, etc. Back to E ethnicity, nationality, and race ethnicity, nationality, and race Ethnicities, nationalities, and races are capitalized when they refer to specific racial, linguistic, religious, and geographic designations, such as African-American, Arab, Asian, Caucasian, Jewish, Latino, and Native American. However, lowercase terms such as white or black. Back to E euphemisms euphemisms "Soft" or unobjectionable terms used in place of a more direct or possibly objectionable term. Avoid using euphemisms in most cases. died, not passed away overweight or obese, not chubby, portly, or plump Back to E eValue8 ™ eValue8 ™ An assessment tool of the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) that provides the leading evidence-based request-for-information tool for comparing health plan performance. Standardized performance reports are prepared for HMO/POS plans as well as for PPO plans and networks. Back to E evidence-based medicine evidence-based medicine Conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making clinical decisions about the care of individual patients. Avoid using this term in member/consumer communications. Instead, use medicine based on current research or similar terminology. Back to E evidence of coverage (EOC), Evidence of Coverage (EOC) evidence of coverage (EOC), Evidence of Coverage (EOC) Document containing information that Kaiser Permanente is required by law to provide to members who have enrolled in our health plan. It is the legal "evidence" of what coverage, services, and benefits have been contracted. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Capitalize and italicize when referring to a particular document. Exception: In Hawaii, the evidence of coverage document for non-Medicare members is called the Member Handbook. Back to E excellent excellent Use care this term in describing Kaiser Permanente's quality of care or physicians, or avoid it altogether. Legal restrictions on such claims and assertions vary by KP region. Back to E exclamation point exclamation point Use sparingly. Back to E explanation of benefits (EOB) Explanation of Benefits (EOB) Written document sent to health plan members after a claim has been processed, showing the dates of service, the provider, the services performed, and the provider's fees. Also shows how much the health plan paid the provider, the charges not covered, and any additional amount the member may owe. Spell out first reference; use initial caps because it is the proper name of a document. Acronym OK for subsequent references. The member received the Explanation of Benefits in the mail. Back to E extension or ext. extension, ext. Lowercase. Back to E extranet extranet Extension of an organization's intranet that gives authorized outsiders (for example, customers, suppliers, or business partners) controlled access to parts of the intranet. Back to E eye care Two words. eyeglasses One word. eyewear One word. F F facility facility names family practitioner FAQ farmers market farther, further fax (n., v.) FDA Federal, federal Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) federally qualified fee-for-service reimbursement fewer, less first aid kit flier follow up (v.), follow-up (n., adj.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) foot care (n., adj.) footnotes formulary (drug) fractions free front-line, front line facility facility Lowercase. See also medical center, medical office. Back to F facility names facility names See clinic, medical center, medical office. Back to F family practitioner family practitioner Primary care physician or general practitioner who has completed a three-year residency and cares for patients of all ages with a variety of medical conditions. Also known as a family practice physician or family medicine physician. Back to F FAQ FAQ Short for frequently asked questions. Do not use acronym. Preferred term is Q&A. See Q&A. Back to F farmers market farmers market No apostrophe. Back to F farther, further farther, further Farther refers to physical distance. He walked farther into the cave. Further refers to metaphorical distance, an extension of time or degree. She chose not to pursue the matter further. Back to F fax (n., v.) fax (n., v.) Acceptable as a short version of facsimile or facsimile machine. Lowercase. Back to F FDA FDA See Food and Drug Administration. Back to F Federal, federal Federal, federal Capitalize when part of the formal name of a corporation or government organization. Federal Express, the Federal Trade Commission Capitalize when referring to the federal government as an employer group. These special services are available to Federal employees. Lowercase when used as an adjective to distinguish from a state, county, city, town, or private entity. The federal government banned assault weapons. Back to F Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) A wide range of health plan options provided to Federal employees, including point-of-service, HMO, and fee-for-service. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to F federally qualified federally qualified Important legal mandate: Use nonprofit, federally qualified health plan when describing Kaiser Permanente's status of being both nonprofit and federally qualified. Right: Kaiser Permanente is a nonprofit, federally qualified health plan that has contracted with the federal government to provide or arrange all your covered Medicare services. Wrong: Kaiser Permanente is a federally qualified health plan. Legal consultation is needed when you see the following: a different usage of federally qualified than what you see just above federally qualified products used to describe Medicare products See also nonprofit fee-for-service reimbursement fee-for-service reimbursement Traditional health care payment system that provides physicians and other health care providers with a payment for services provided. Compare with capitation. Back to F fewer, less fewer, less In general, use fewer for individuals (items or people), less for bulk or quantity. Right: Fewer than 10 applicants called. (individuals) Right: I had less than $50 in my pocket. (an amount) Right: I had fewer than 50 one-dollar bills in my pocket. (individual items) Wrong: The trend is toward more machines and less people. (People in this sense refers to individuals.) Wrong: She was fewer than 60 years old. (Years in this sense refers to a period of time, not individual years.) Back to F first aid kit first aid kit No hyphen, because "first aid" is a widely recognized term. Back to F flier flier, flyer Per AP, flier is the preferred term for an aviator or a handbill. Flyer is the proper name of some trains and buses: The Western Flyer. follow up (v.), follow-up (n., adj.) follow up (v.), follow-up (n., adj.) Two words. Hyphenated only when used as a noun or adjective. She will follow up with you tomorrow. This is a follow-up to a previous report. You'll be scheduled for a follow-up appointment after your surgery. Back to F Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food and Drug Administration, not Federal Drug Administration. U.S. government agency established to maintain and protect the public health; the nation's oldest consumer-protection agency. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to F foot care (n., adj.) foot care (n., adj.) Two words; no hyphen. Back to F footnotes footnotes (print style) Avoid using footnotes whenever possible so that readers will not have to search for the explanation. Parenthetical explanations, or brief explanations in the running text, are preferred. Footnotes may be indicated with numbers or symbols. Always place the footnote number or symbol after punctuation (such as a period, comma, semicolon, question mark, or exclamation point), rather than before it. Exceptions include the em-dash (---), in which case the footnote should come first. If you are using symbols, and there is more than one footnote on a page, use the following symbol sequence: *†‡§ Footnotes should begin and continue for at least two lines on the page where the footnote is originally noted before continuing to the next page. See also asterisk, references. Back to F footnotes (Web style) Avoid using footnotes so that readers will not have to search for the explanation. Parenthetical explanations, or brief explanations in the running text, are preferred. Footnotes should be indicated with symbols. If there is more than one footnote on a page, use the following symbol sequence: * † ‡ ** Numerals should be used for footnotes only in special circumstances or when required by legal or regulatory. Always place the footnote number or symbol after punctuation (such as a period, comma, semicolon, question mark, or exclamation point), rather than before it. Exceptions include the em-dash (---), in which case the footnote should come first. See also asterisk, references. Back to F formulary (drug) formulary (drug) Brand name and generic medications that Kaiser Permanente physicians and pharmacists have determined to be the safest, most appropriate, and most cost-effective treatments for our members. Formularies may differ from one Kaiser Permanente region to another. For Web content, use the term formulary (list of covered drugs) instead of covered drugs alone or formulary alone. Right: See our formulary (list of covered drugs) to find out which medications are covered in your prescription drug benefit. Wrong: See our drug formulary to find out which medications are covered in your prescription drug benefit. Back to F fractions fractions In running text, spell out numbers representing a value less than one, using hyphens between the words: one-half, two-thirds, four-fifths, seven-sixteenths. Convert fractions to decimals when you can do so within two decimal places and without creating inconsistency with other fractions in the same material: 2.75, not 2¾ But 1, not 1.625 If precision is critical, such as in financial or scientific content, use either decimals or fractions, whichever form most accurately expresses the amount. For whole numbers plus fractions, use figures. Use stacking characters whenever possible. 1¼, 2¾ If it’s not possible to use stacking characters, use a full space between the whole number and the fraction. Do not use a hyphen. 5 13/16, 2 5/8 See also recipes Back to F free free Do not use when referring to copayments or supplemental charges. Preferred term is no charge. Some Kaiser Permanente regions have restrictions on the use of the word free to describe any services or features associated with a health plan. To avoid this issue, the preferred term is no charge. Hyphenate when used as second part of compound modifier regardless of placement in sentence if needed to avoid ambiguity. Baby and Me Smoke-Free, not Baby and Me Smoke Free. Back to F front-line, front line front-line, front line Use a hyphen for the adjective; no hyphen for the noun. She is a front-line employee. Employees on the front line spend the most time with members. Back to F G G Garfield, Sidney R. gatekeeper general practitioner geographic terms go-live (adj.), go live (v.) grantmaking Group Health Cooperative group model, group-model (n., adj.) group-model HMO group practice (n.), group-practice (adj.) Garfield, Sidney R. Garfield, Sidney R. Physician cofounder (with Henry J. Kaiser) of Kaiser Permanente. Always include the middle initial and "MD" when using his full name. First reference: Sidney R. Garfield, MD Subsequent references: Dr. Garfield gatekeeper gatekeeper Because of its negative connotation, avoid this word in relation to Kaiser Permanente. Back to G general practitioner general practitioner See family practitioner. Back to G geographic terms geographic terms Capitalize common nouns when they form an integral part of a proper name; lowercase when they stand alone. the Philippine Islands, the islands; the Mississippi River, the river Always lowercase when referring to compass directions. Drive three miles north on Quincy Road. The restaurant is on the west side of the street. Capitalize only when regarded as geographic regions/entities and accepted as proper nouns. The North was victorious over the South in the Civil War. A storm system that developed in the Midwest will bring showers to the East Coast. See also addresses, city, county, state. Back to G go-live (adj.), go live (v.) go-live (adj.), go live (v.) The pilot project's go-live date is July 4. The medical center will go live with KP HealthConnect next month. Back to G grantmaking Use as one word. Do not use a hyphen. Also called "philanthropy," this term is used to describe the granting of money to nonprofit organizations by foundations and corporations. Grantgiving is a related term that is also acceptable for use and is spelled as one word. Group Health Cooperative Group Health Cooperative Seattle-based, consumer-governed, nonprofit health care system that is a Kaiser Permanente affiliate. An agreement between Kaiser Permanente and Group Health allows Kaiser Permanente members to receive care at Group Health facilities in Washington and North Idaho when they are traveling in those areas. We do not have an agreement with the Group Health located in Wisconsin. Use Group Health Cooperative and note geographical location on first reference; may be shortened to Group Health on subsequent references. Back to G group model, group-model (n., adj.) group model, group-model (n., adj.) Always hyphenate when modifying a noun. group-model HMO Back to G group-model HMO group-model HMO HMO that contracts with one or more large, multispecialty physician groups and hospitals to provide health care services to the HMO's members. Kaiser Permanente is a group-model HMO. Back to G group practice (n.), group-practice (adj.) group practice (n.), group-practice (adj.) Association of physicians or other health care professionals, working as partners, or partners and employees, and sharing premises and resources to provide health care services. Always hyphenate when modifying a noun. Many of the Permanente Medical Groups are multispecialty group practices. The partners developed their group-practice guidelines. Back to G H H Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) handicapped hard of hearing hatha yoga Hawaiian, local headlines, subheads health care (n., adj.) Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) health care professional health care provider health care reform health care team HealthConnect health encyclopedia healthful Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) health insurance purchasing cooperative (HIPC) health maintenance organization (HMO) HealthMedia® Health Medical Record number* HealthPartners health plan health plan formulary guidelines health record number health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) health risk (n.), health-risk (adj.) health savings account (HSA) Healthwise® Handbook HealthWorks by Kaiser Permanente healthy healthy lifestyle programs Healthy Living Healthyroads Healthy Solutions hearing-impaired HEDIS® (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) hematology, oncology he or she, him or her high blood pressure high deductible health plan, High Deductible Health Plan (n.) high quality, high-quality care Hispanic HIV HMO, HMOs holidays home health care home page hormone replacement therapy (HRT) hospice hospitalist hotspot human papillomavirus (HPV) hyphen Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Highly contagious bacterium that causes meningitis, pneumonia, and other serious diseases. Before a vaccine was developed, Hib was the most frequent cause of life-threatening infection in children under 5 years of age. Spell out first reference, Haemophilus always capped; abbreviation OK in subsequent references. Back to H handicapped handicapped See disabilities. Back to H hard of hearing hard of hearing Hard of hearing, not hearing impaired, is the correct term for people who have a limited ability to hear. See also deaf. Back to H hatha yoga hatha yoga There are a number of different types of yoga. In Kaiser Permanente materials, the term refers to low-impact yoga that helps to regulate breathing with exercises consisting of postures and stretches intended to sustain healthy bodily functioning and induce emotional calmness. Lowercase. See also yoga Back to H Hawaiian, local Hawaiian, local Hawaiian is used to refer to the indigenous people of Hawaii and is not used to describe people who live in Hawaii. Local is used to refer to anyone who lives in Hawaii (including indigenous people of Hawaii). When writing for members within Hawaii, refer to Hawaii residents as locals. You could also say Hawaii residents, depending on the context. When writing for members outside Hawaii, refer to Hawaii residents as locals. You could also say Hawaii residents, depending on the context. Regardless of audience, always refer to the indigenous people of Hawaii as Hawaiians. There is a high incidence for diabetes in Hawaii for certain ethnic groups, such as Japanese, Hawaiian, etc. headlines, subheads headlines and subheads (print style) Several different styles — initial cap, sentence case, all caps, and lowercase — can be used in headlines and subheads. Sentence style is preferred for most uses; press releases and some other PR communications use initial cap. Sentence case style (cap only the first word in the headline and any proper noun) New Kaiser Permanente website for brokers makes doing business easier Initial cap style (cap the first letter of each word, except for articles, conjunctions, and prepositions of fewer than four letters) New Kaiser Permanente Website for Brokers Makes Doing Business Easier All caps style (cap every letter) NEW KAISER PERMANENTE WEBSITE FOR BROKERS MAKES DOING BUSINESS EASIER Lowercase style (no words are capped) Use only when there are no proper nouns in the headline or subhead. Wrong: new kaiser permanente website for brokers makes doing business easier The preferred headline and subhead style for Kaiser Permanente newsletters and magazines is sentence case. In other communications, however, another style may be used as long as the result is well-designed, readable, and consistent throughout the communication. Do not use periods in headlines and subhead, even if they form a complete sentence. If a headline is composed of two or more sentences, however, punctuate appropriately. Other punctuation, such as question marks and exclamation points, should be used as needed. Enjoy guilt-free eating Want help? Call today. In headlines, set all numbers in figures. 7 tips to beat colds and flu Avoid splitting Kaiser Permanente into two lines, if possible. Right: Kaiser Permanente Wrong: Kaiser Permanente Avoid splitting a preposition from its object. Right:The National Guide for Kaiser Permanente Wrong:The National Guide for Kaiser Permanente Back to H headlines and subheads (Web style) Always use sentence style headlines on kaiserpermanente.org. Use sentence style headlines by capitalizing only the first word and any proper nouns in all headlines and subheads. Whooping cough: Protect your family by getting vaccinated For internal Web communications vehicles, such as the KP Vine intranet and KP Link, use title style. Lab Uses Colorful Method to Reduce Number of Rejected Specimens Delete periods, dashes, and colons at the ends of headlines and subheads whenever possible. It is acceptable, however, to use periods if a headline or subhead comprises two or more sentences. Question marks are acceptable. Want help? Call today. Use this style for headlines and subheads that contain colons within the text. Smoking cessation: the basics In headlines and subheads, set all numbers in figures. 7 tips to beat colds and flu Back to H health care (n., adj.) health care (n., adj.) Two words, no hyphen, in all cases. Exception: When healthcare is spelled as one word in a proper name. Last month, Modern Healthcare magazine featured an article about Kaiser Permanente. Back to H Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Do not use. See Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) . Back to H health care professional health care professional This term can include physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, pharmacists, etc. Note: This term does not include physicians, who should generally be referred to separately. physicians and other health care professionals. See also clinician, medical professional, practitioner. Back to H health care provider health care provider See provider. Back to H health care reform health care reform See Affordable Care Act. health care team health care team Health care team is preferred over medical team as it more fully describes the continuum of care at Kaiser Permanente, the variety of professionals that provide that care, and our focus on health and prevention. Back to H HealthConnect HealthConnect See Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect*®* . Back to H health encyclopedia health encyclopedia When referring to the health encyclopedia feature on kaiserpermanente.org, lowercase except when it is the first word in a sentence or heading, in which case use sentence style, with Health capitalized. Although the health encyclopedia is not owned by Kaiser Permanente, it is acceptable to call it our health encyclopedia but not Kaiser Permanente health encyclopedia. healthful healthful Conducive to good health. OK to use interchangeably with healthy. See also healthy. Back to H Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Law that requires standardization of electronic patient health, administrative, and financial data; unique health identifiers for individuals, employers, health plans, and health care providers; and security standards to protect the confidentiality and integrity of individually identifiable health information, past, present, or future. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to H health insurance purchasing cooperative (HIPC) health insurance purchasing cooperative (HIPC) Large group of employers and individuals who join together to purchase health coverage collectively. Theoretically, by combining their purchasing power, small businesses and individuals are able to purchase coverage at a lower cost and more would be able to afford health coverage, thus reducing the number of uninsured. Also called health insurance purchasing group, health plan purchasing cooperative, and health insurance purchasing corporation. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to H health maintenance organization (HMO) health maintenance organization (HMO) Entity that arranges for or provides health services to its members for a fixed, prepaid premium. Do not use HMO to describe Kaiser Permanente as an organization. We are a health care organization that offers HMO plans. Acceptable to use HMO on first reference. No apostrophe for plural. HMOs, not HMO's. Back to H HealthMedia® HealthMedia® HealthMedia brand name: Don’t use this brand name in copy unless accompanied by the specific program names or in reference to “HealthMedia solutions.” Don’t use the possessive form and do not pluralize HealthMedia. Do not use Inc. after HealthMedia, as it is now only a brand. It is no longer a corporate entity. In materials discussing multiple HealthMedia programs, the name HealthMedia is only required once, in introductory copy. Individual product names can then be used in their short forms (Balance, Care for Pain, Relax, etc.). In materials promoting single programs, HealthMedia is required only on first reference (except in the case of Total Health Assessment; never include HealthMedia). When using the proper name "Total Health Assessment" or generic term "healthy lifestyle programs" in reference to HealthMedia programs, it is not necessary to mention HealthMedia. Product names: If a program name is used in a headline without HealthMedia, the full name of the program must be included in the body copy (except in the case of Total Health Assessment, which never carries the HealthMedia name). Products currently offered by Kaiser Permanente (note placement of ™ and ®): HealthMedia® Balance® HealthMedia® Breathe® HealthMedia® Care® for Diabetes HealthMedia® Care® for Pain HealthMedia® Care® for Your Back HealthMedia® Care® for Your Health HealthMedia® Nourish® HealthMedia® Overcoming™ Depression HealthMedia® Overcoming™ Insomnia HealthMedia® Relax® Total Health Assessment In materials discussing multiple HealthMedia programs, individual product names can be used in their short forms (Balance, Care for Pain, Relax, etc.) without a trademark or registration symbol, as long as HealthMedia ® has been used in the headline or is featured prominently in introductory copy. Trademark and registration symbols: Use registration symbol ® (after HealthMedia) and trademark ™ or registration symbol ® (relating to the product names that have them) on first and most prominent use of name for each product. Subsequent references do not take either symbol. Note that ™ is used only with the Overcoming programs. Do not use either ® or ™ with shortened product names. See also healthy lifestyle programs. Back to H Health Medical Record number* Health/Medical Record number *Note: Due to technical limitations, the slash does not appear in the link title. It should read: Health/Medical Record number. On kp.org we use one phrase for all regions: Health/Medical Record number. Capitalize health, medical, and record. Do not abbreviate to MR#. See also health record number, medical record number. HealthPartners HealthPartners No space and capital P. Kaiser Permanente contracts with HealthPartners to provide 10,000 Steps®, an online walking program. For 10,000 Steps, use the registered trademark at first reference in the copy; subsequent references don't require the registered trademark. Also, whenever we mention 10,000 Steps, the following disclaimer must be included: 10,000 Steps® is a registered trademark of HealthPartners, Inc. health plan health plan Health maintenance organization, preferred provider organization, insured plan, self-funded plan, or other entity that covers health care services. Capitalize when part of the official name of a Kaiser Permanente health plan. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.; Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest Capitalize when used as an abbreviation for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. in contracts, EOCs, and other legal documents. Health Plan Lowercase when standing alone or referring to more than one Kaiser Permanente health plan. She didn't know which health plan to choose; Kaiser Permanente offers a variety of health plans. See also Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Back to H health plan formulary guidelines health plan formulary guidelines See formulary. Back to H health record number health record number Alternate term for medical record number in Colorado, Georgia, and the Northwest. On kp.org use Health/Medical Record number. Note the capitalizations. See also medical record number, Health/Medical Record number. Back to H health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) An IRS-regulated, employer-sponsored reimbursement arrangement that allows employees to receive tax-free reimbursement for eligible out-of-pocket health expenses. Contributions made to an HRA are 100 percent employer funded, and are free of federal, state, and FICA taxes. The A in HRA stands for arrangement, not account. When discussing the actual financial account, include account: The funds in your HRA account are managed by Bank of America. Formerly Kaiser Permanente Custom Care HealthBuilder. The current names of our HRA plans: Kaiser Permanente HMO Plan with HRA. HRA. Kaiser Permanente Point-of-Service (POS) Plan with HRA. Kaiser Permanente PPO Plan with Use full name on first reference; drop Kaiser Permanente on subsequent uses. For detailed information, see @hpi at hpi.kp.org. Back to H health risk (n.), health-risk (adj.) health risk (n.), health-risk (adj.) Assess your health risks online at kp.org. Take an online health-risk assessment on kp.org. Back to H health savings account (HSA) health savings account (HSA) A tax-exempt savings account established in conjunction with a qualified High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), to pay for qualified medical expenses. Formerly Kaiser Permanente Custom Care Health Investor. The current names for our HSA plans: Kaiser Permanente HSA-Qualified Deductible HMO Plan Kaiser Permanente HSA-Qualified Point-of-Service (POS) Plan Kaiser Permanente HSA-Qualified PPO Plan Use full name on first reference; drop Kaiser Pemanente on subsequent uses. For detailed information, see @hpi at hpi.kp.org. Back to H Healthwise® Handbook Healthwise® Handbook See Kaiser Permanente Healthwise® Handbook. Back to H HealthWorks by Kaiser Permanente HealthWorks by Kaiser Permanente Note no space and capital W. A fee-for-service program that provides employer-specific health promotion programs to improve employee health. Is available to employer's employees, even if they are not Kaiser Permanente members. May include worksite services, online programs (selected HealthMedia programs), and incentive programs (total health assessment and exercise rewards programs). Use HealthWorks by Kaiser Permanente in materials for member or consumer/prospective member audiences. OK to use HealthWorks alone on second and subsequent references in copy. In graphics, use the endorsed brand (HealthWorks) logo treatment, because not all employees receiving the program are Kaiser Permanente members. See the Brand Identity intranet site for graphic guidelines. HealthWorks is not a Kaiser Permanente trademark, so no trademark symbol is used. Usage note: Naming is different for employer/broker audiences. For details, see Kaiser Permanente HealthWorks. Back to H healthy healthy Possessing good health. OK to use interchangeably with healthful. A healthy diet; a healthful diet See also healthful. Back to H healthy lifestyle programs healthy lifestyle programs General term for the HealthMedia programs available to Kaiser Permanente members on kp.org. It is not a proper name, so do not initial cap. Do not say our healthy lifestyle programs because we did not develop and do not own them; we've simply contracted with HealthMedia to provide them to our members. It is not necessary to include HealthMedia when using this general term. See HealthMedia. Back to H Healthy Living Healthy Living This is the umbrella name for health education services and refers to a broad spectrum of offerings from classes to online information and do-it-yourself programs. The department remains Health Education. Use Healthy Living classes when discussing health education programs in some detail, especially to convey the different kinds of offerings mentioned in the paragraph above. But if it's just an isolated or brief bullet point, health classes should be used. Right: Find a health class at a facility near you. Right: From classes to online information and tools, find a Healthy Living resource that's right for you. Healthyroads Healthyroads This name is no longer used. See ChooseHealthy. Back to H Healthy Solutions Healthy Solutions See Kaiser Permanente Healthy Solutions. Back to H hearing-impaired hearing-impaired Do not use. See hard of hearing, deaf. Back to H HEDIS® (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) HEDIS® (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) Standardized reporting system designed to help employers evaluate health plans. HEDIS annually measures quality of care — focusing on outcomes — and creates a database of comparative performance measures. Use acronym on first reference, followed by the full name, then acronym only on subsequent references. HEDIS® (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) is a standardized reporting system. Apply the ® in the first and last reference in the document. Use the following footnote on the bottom of the page on which the registered trademark first appears: HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Back to H hematology, oncology hematology/oncology Two specialities that work in conjunction with each other (similar to obstetrics/gynecology). Capitalize both terms only when used as a department name. Back to H he or she, him or her he or she, him or her To avoid these awkward constructions, recast the sentence in second person, if possible. Right: You can choose your own personal physician. Wrong: A member can choose his or her own personal physician. Wrong: A member can choose his own personal physician. Right: Your physician can help you choose the treatment that's right for you. Wrong: He or she can help you choose the treatment that's right for you. Never use a singular noun (member) with a plural pronoun (their). Wrong: A member can choose their own personal physician. Back to H high blood pressure high blood pressure Preferred term. Avoid using hypertension. Back to H high deductible health plan, High Deductible Health Plan (n.) high deductible health plan, High Deductible Health Plan (n.) Not hyphenated. As an industry term, it is initial capped (High Deductible Health Plan or HDHP on subsequent references), so employer and broker materials may use this treatment. For member and prospective member audiences, only use if needed for definition or other explanatory purposes — avoid if possible. Back to H high quality, high-quality care high quality, high-quality care OK to use when describing the care provided by Kaiser Permanente, except in the Mid-Atlantic States. See also modifiers, superlatives. Back to H Hispanic Hispanic See Latino/Latina. Back to H HIV HIV Acronym for human immunodeficiency virus. OK to use acronym on first reference. See also AIDS. Back to H HMO, HMOs HMO, HMOs No apostrophe for plural. See also health maintenance organization (HMO). Back to H holidays holidays Always capitalize. New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Presidents' Day, Easter, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Cinco de Mayo, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Christmas. Back to H home health care home health care Care provided at home for the frail elderly; people with disabilities; and people with acute, chronic, or terminal illnesses. Back to H home page home page Two words, lowercase. Back to H hormone replacement therapy (HRT) hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Not hyphenated. Hormone therapy (HT) may also be used. Back to H hospice hospice Facility or comprehensive, multidisciplinary program for terminally ill people, usually providing counseling and health care services that give comfort to the dying patient and the family. Hospice programs focus on helping the patient and family through death and dying rather than prolonging life with additional medical intervention. Back to H hospitalist hospitalist Physician, usually trained in internal medicine or family practice, who specializes in the care of hospitalized patients. Back to H hotspot hotspot One word when used to indicate public locations where people can utilize wireless Internet access. Available in some Kaiser Permanente facilities. Back to H human papillomavirus (HPV) human papillomavirus (HPV) Spell out first reference; OK to use acronym in subsequent references. Do not use papillomavirus alone. Back to H hyphen hyphen The broad rule is that when a multiword adjective comes before the noun it modifies, hyphenate it. When it comes after the word it modifies, don't hyphenate it: The campus is smoke free. People seem to appreciate a smoke-free environment. The exception is with compound adjectives formed with an ---ly adverb. These are never hyphenated: the hardly known actor, the newly married couple. Use a hyphen to avoid creating a word with a different meaning than the one intended. They used multi-ply cord (to avoid multiply cord). They needed to re-create the experiment from the ground up. All self words are hyphenated. self-care for minor injuries Some compounds that are widely recognized as a unit do not require a hyphen when used as an adjective preceding a noun. Examples: blood glucose monitor blood sugar level hormone replacement therapy body mass index peak flow meter bone marrow transplant child care costs sickle cell disease skin care products first aid kit health care organization urgent care services suspensive hyphen: Use to show that one element in a phrase is connected with a later one in the same phrase. Suspensive hyphens are used to avoid repetition. He cut the sticks into 3-, 5-, and 9-inch lengths. Avoid whenever possible by recasting the sentence. He cut the sticks into lengths that were 3, 5, and 9 inches long. In Web copy: Use a hyphen in place of en dashes. Use the word to (in the sense of "through") instead of a hyphen in body copy. The physicians will attend the seminar from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Thursday. Use the word to (not the hyphen) to connect continuing or inclusive numbers, such as dates, times, or reference numbers. May to June 1995; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; pp. 38 to 45 For more information on hyphens, see the Associated Press Stylebook section on punctuation and The Chicago Manual of Style. See also prefixes and specific words, such as out-of-area. Back to H I I i.e. ID card IM immunizations impact (n.) Inc. indefinite articles indemnity independent practice association (IPA) Individual Plan individual practice association (IPA) in-network, In-Network, out-of-network, Out-of-Network inpatient, outpatient insurance insure intensive care unit (ICU) internal medicine Internet interpreter vs. translator interregional intranet intrauterine device (IUD) intravenous (IV) in vitro in vitro fertilization (IVF) IPA IPA-model HMO IT italics its, it's i.e. i.e. Id est, meaning "that is" or "in other words." Avoid in external communications if possible; use that is instead with appropriate punctuation before (comma, semicolon, or em dash), followed by a comma. The survey was sent only to African Americans; that is, people of African descent born in the United States. The survey was sent only to African Americans, i.e., people of African descent born in the United States. Back to I ID card ID card No periods. See Kaiser Permanente identification card. Back to I IM IM Acronym for instant message; sometimes used as a verb (IM'ing, IM'ed). Acceptable on second reference for instant messaging. Back to I immunizations immunizations Preferred over shots, although shots may be acceptable in certain situations, depending on tone and reading level. Vaccination is also acceptable. When referring to online immunization records, be sure not to state that a patient's full immunization history is online. Implying that older records are available may put Kaiser Permanente out of compliance with state regulatory agencies. Preferred: Sign on to review your recent immunizations. Acceptable: Sign on to review your immunizations. Wrong: Sign on to view all your immunizations. Back to I impact (n.) impact (n.) Use only as a noun. Although impact is sometimes used as a verb in casual conversation, it is widely viewed as jargon and should be avoided in written communications. When using impact as a noun, do not make plural impacts. Use effects instead. Do not use as a verb. Use affect instead. Right: We don't know how it will affect the results. Wrong: We don't know how it will impact the results. Back to I Inc. Inc. Include Inc. if the company uses it as part of its corporate name. Include commas on either side of Inc. In running text, OK to use Inc. on first reference only. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., is proud to announce … Back to I indefinite articles indefinite articles See a, an, abbreviations and acronyms. Back to I indemnity indemnity Traditional claims-based insurance plan involving coinsurance and deductibles. Typically, the cost is split 80-20 between the insurance company and the insured. Back to I independent practice association (IPA) independent practice association (IPA) See individual practice association (IPA). Back to I Individual Plan Individual Plan See Kaiser Permanente Individual Plan. Back to I individual practice association (IPA) individual practice association (IPA) Group of physicians in private practice who provide health care services for a variety of health plans in return for a negotiated fee. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to I in-network, In-Network, out-of-network, Out-of-Network in-network, In-Network, out-of-network, Out-of-Network Capitalize and hyphenate only when referring to a Kaiser Permanente network for non-HMO products through Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company (KPIC), such as point-of-service products. Depending on the region, In-Plan and Out-of-Plan are also acceptable. Back to I inpatient, outpatient inpatient, outpatient Some audiences may not understand these terms. Consider substituting a descriptive phrase for inpatient, such as when you stay in the hospital. Back to I insurance insurance Avoid the use of this term, if possible, because it has very negative connotations with consumers. Back to I insure insure See ensure, insure, assure. Back to I intensive care unit (ICU) intensive care unit (ICU) Lowercase. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Exception: In Hawaii, use critical care unit (CCU). Back to I internal medicine internal medicine Medical specialty that focuses on nonsurgical treatment of diseases of the internal organs in adults 18 and older. Back to I Internet Internet Electronic communications network that connects computer networks and organizational computer facilities around the world. Capitalize. See also Web. Back to I interpreter vs. translator interpreter vs. translator An interpreter is a person who translates orally for parties conversing in different languages. Interpreters are sometimes available to members in some Kaiser Permanente facilities, either in person or through telephone interpretation services. A translator turns information (generally in written form) from one language to another. Back to I interregional One word, no hyphen. intranet intranet Network that restricts access to a limited group of people, such as employees of a company. Kaiser Permanente's intranet is http://kpnet.kp.org. Lowercase. Back to I intrauterine device (IUD) intrauterine device (IUD) Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to I intravenous (IV) intravenous (IV) Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to I in vitro in vitro No hyphens. Never abbreviate to IV; it is too easily confused with intravenous. Back to I in vitro fertilization (IVF) in vitro fertilization (IVF) No hyphens. Spell out first reference; acronym OK in subsequent references. Back to I IPA IPA See individual practice association (IPA). Back to I IPA-model HMO IPA-model HMO HMO that contracts with individual practice associations. See individual practice association (IPA). Back to I IT See Kaiser Permanente Information Technology. italics print style The titles of all publications are set in italics when referred to in text. Kaiser Permanente Healthwise® Handbook, Partners in Health, Health Care Perspectives, Your Guidebook to Kaiser Permanente Services, Member News, Evidence of Coverage Italicize words and terms singled out as words themselves within text. Pouring and poring have different meanings. Italicize foreign words or phrases unless they have been accepted in general usage and are found in Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition (e.g., de facto, alma mater, per diem). However, if a foreign word or phrase would not be easily understood by your audience, translate it into English. In print, italicize or bold, rather than underline, words for emphasis. Web style Do not use italics in Web copy. They often render poorly and are difficult for users to read. Use boldface instead for emphasis, but sparingly because of its prominence in labels, buttons, links, etc. Do not italicize foreign words or phrases or titles of works and publications. its, it's its, it's Its is the possessive pronoun: Kaiser Permanente and its members. It's is the contraction of it is: It's the infant's first sensation. Check for correctness: If you can substitute it is, then you use it's. If not, use its. Back to I J J jargon job titles Joint Commission Jr. jump heads jargon jargon Avoid jargon in communications unless the audience is familiar with it and uses it. Examples of jargon include: at-risk women care management double-blind study early intervention evidence-based medicine leveraging managed care modality partner (as a verb) reciprocity revenue standardized protocols strategic focus strategies for allocating services Back to J job titles job titles See titles. Back to J Joint Commission Joint Commission Formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Independent, not-for-profit organization that functions as the main accrediting body for hospitals and other provider facilities. Back to J Jr. Jr. Do not set off by commas. Always capitalize when used after a surname. John Smith Jr. was promoted to vice president. Back to J jump heads jump heads When copy continues on a following page, the jump head is in the present tense, set within parentheses, lowercase, and italicized. (continues on next page) (continues on page 2) When copy continues from a preceding page, the jump head is in the past tense, set within parentheses, lowercase, and italicized. (continued) (continued from page 2) When copy continues from an unnumbered front page or cover, use front page, not front cover or page 1. (continued from front page) For a one-page, double-sided document, the jump heads are set within parentheses, lowercase, and italicized. The following wording would be appropriate: (continues on back) (continued from front) Back to J K K Kaiser Kaiser, Henry J. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (Health Plan) Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan Kaiser Group Health Kaiser On-the-Job® Kaiser Permanente kaiserpermanente.org, kp.org Kaiser Permanente Child Health Plan Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Kaiser Permanente Complete Care Kaiser Permanente Custom Care Kaiser Permanente Custom Care HealthBuilder (HRA) Kaiser Permanente Custom Care HealthInvestor (HSA) Kaiser Permanente for Individuals and Families Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect® Kaiser Permanente Healthphone Kaiser Permanente Healthwise® Handbook Kaiser Permanente HealthWorks Kaiser Permanente Healthy Solutions Kaiser Permanente identification card Kaiser Permanente Individual Plan Kaiser Permanente Information Technology Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company (KPIC) Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program Kaiser Permanente Personal Advantage Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage KP KP HealthConnect Kaiser Kaiser Do not use Kaiser alone in communications because it may be confused with other organizations, such as The Kaiser Family Foundation or Kaiser Electronics, that have nothing to do with Kaiser Permanente. Use our full name, Kaiser Permanente. Back to K Kaiser, Henry J. Kaiser, Henry J. Cofounder (with Sidney R. Garfield) of Kaiser Permanente. Always use the middle initial when using his full name. First reference: Henry J. Kaiser Subsequent references: Kaiser Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (Health Plan) Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (Health Plan) Nonprofit, public benefit corporation that enrolls members, collects dues, and contracts with the Permanente Medical Groups, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and affiliated providers to provide health care to members. Health Plan is acceptable on second reference when referring specifically to a Kaiser Foundation Health Plan in contracts, EOCs, and other legal documents. Note: The Kaiser Permanente brand name is easily recognizable by our members and other audiences and has a considerable amount of positive brand equity. It's also friendlier and less "corporate" sounding. In addition, Kaiser Permanente is inclusive of the Permanente Medical Groups. These are all reasons you should use our brand name in communications, rather than our more formal, corporate names, such as Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. or Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. Use the corporate names only when required for legal or regulatory reasons, and in corporate titles, such as "Bernard J. Tyson, Chief Executive Officer of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals." (Note Bernard Tyson will not become Chairman until January 2014.) When referring to both entities, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., together, refer to as Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan. (Note order of Hospitals and Health Plan.) For internal uses, the acronym KFH/HP is acceptable upon subsequent reference. The acronym should not be used for external documents. As noted above, particularly for external uses, the brand name Kaiser Permanente is preferable and more reader friendly. See also Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan. Back to K Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Nonprofit, public benefit organization that owns community hospitals and outpatient facilities and provides or arranges hospital services for Kaiser Permanente members. It is an entity distinct from Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. When referring to Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., together, use Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan. (Note order of Hospitals and Health Plan.) For internal uses, the acronym KFH/HP is acceptable upon subsequent reference. The acronym should not be used for external documents. Particularly for external uses, the brand name Kaiser Permanente is preferable and more reader friendly. See also Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan. Back to K Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan Can be used when referring to the two entities of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Note that Hospitals appears first in this construction. Please see Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Back to K Kaiser Group Health Kaiser Group Health Do not use. Back to K Kaiser On-the-Job® Kaiser On-the-Job® viewfile: (Wrapped) java.io.NotSerializableException: com.atlassian.confluence.security.ContentPermissionSet Back to K Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente is our brand/trade name and a federally registered trademark for the cooperative endeavor among Kaiser Foundation Health Plans, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, The Permanente Federation, and the Permanente Medical Groups. Use Kaiser Permanente in external communications, rather than Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., whenever possible. Never use Kaiser alone or abbreviate to KP in external communications. (KP is OK for internal communications only.) Exceptions: When a member is quoted as saying Kaiser (rather than Kaiser Permanente), leave the quote as is. When posting an article from an outside source that says Kaiser (rather than Kaiser Permanente), leave the article as is. When a physician or any Kaiser Permanente employee is quoted as saying Kaiser, change the quote so that it reads Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser Permanente can be referred to as a nonprofit health plan, nonprofit organization, or nonprofit program. However, when using the terms nonprofit organization or nonprofit program, the communication must include the following definition of Kaiser Permanente's three-part organizational structure, including the for-profit/nonprofit status of each part. This definition can be provided in body copy, a footnote, or an entry in a glossary or in an EOC definitions section. Regional names may be substituted for Programwide generic names, if necessary. Kaiser Permanente is composed of the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and the for-profit Permanente Medical Groups. Avoid breaking Kaiser Permanente onto two lines whenever possible. Note: Kaiser Permanente is preferred in external communications because corporate names, such as Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals or Permanente Medical Groups, may confuse external audiences. Also, Kaiser Permanente is inclusive of the Permanente Medical Groups. Back to K Kaiser Permanente Child Health Plan Kaiser Permanente Child Health Plan Health care and dental coverage for children from birth through age 18 who are not eligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families coverage because of income or immigration status, or who are not eligible for employer-paid health coverage. Back to K Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Not Benefits. Back to K Kaiser Permanente Complete Care Kaiser Permanente Complete Care Name for Kaiser Permanente's disease management programs, for programs/activities whose primary focus is disease/condition management (not prevention). Replaces Care Management and Population Care Management. Include Kaiser Permanente in headlines and on first reference of umbrella name Kaiser Permanente Complete Care, as well as for first reference of each program name. This naming is not yet used in all Kaiser Permanente Regions. Current programs: Kaiser Permanente Complete Care for Asthma Kaiser Permanente Complete Care for Cardiovascular Disease Kaiser Permanente Complete Care for Chronic Pain Kaiser Permanente Complete Care for Diabetes Kaiser Permanente Complete Care for Depression Kaiser Permanente Complete Care for HIV/AIDS Kaiser Permanente Complete Care for Weight Management Back to K Kaiser Permanente Custom Care Kaiser Permanente Custom Care This name is no longer used for Kaiser Permanente's suite of consumer-directed health care products. See health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) and health savings account (HSA). Back to K Kaiser Permanente Custom Care HealthBuilder (HRA) Kaiser Permanente Custom Care HealthBuilder (HRA) This name is no longer used for our HRA plans. See health reimbursement arrangement (HRA). Back to K Kaiser Permanente Custom Care HealthInvestor (HSA) Kaiser Permanente Custom Care HealthInvestor (HSA) This name is no longer used for our HSA plans. See health savings account (HSA). Back to K Kaiser Permanente for Individuals and Families Kaiser Permanente for Individuals and Families Kaiser Permanente's direct pay plans for individuals and families. Formerly known as Kaiser Permanente Personal Advantage and Kaiser Permanente Individual Plan. Plan names vary by region and benefit level. Use full name on first reference; KPIF is acceptable on subsequent uses. Back to K Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect® Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect® Note no space and capital C. Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect ® features are available to members on kp.org as My Health Manager. Availability of functionality varies by region. On first reference, use Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®; KP HealthConnect OK on subsequent references. Kaiser Permanente or KP should always be part of the name; do not shorten to HealthConnect or use KPHC in internal or external communications. For member/consumer audiences: Do not use this term. Instead, focus on the benefits members receive from the features of the system. If needed, use term electronic health record system. For business/employer/broker and internal audiences: OK to use this term. On first reference, spell out completely and include the trademark symbol. Second and all subsequent references: KP HealthConnect For more details, see the KP HealthConnect Toolkit in the "Templates" section of the Brand Center, or visit @hpi at hpi.kp.org. See also My Health Manager, My health manager, electronic health record (EHR). Back to K Kaiser Permanente Healthphone Kaiser Permanente Healthphone Do not use. The service was discontinued effective January 1, 2008. Back to K Kaiser Permanente Healthwise® Handbook Kaiser Permanente Healthwise® Handbook Do not reference in any materials. Kaiser Permanente no longer has a contract with Healthwise, Inc. to publish the printed book. Kaiser Permanente HealthWorks Kaiser Permanente HealthWorks A fee-for-service program that provides employer-specific health promotion programs to improve employee health. Is available to employer's employees, even if they are not Kaiser Permanente members. May include worksite services, online programs (selected HealthMedia programs), and incentive programs (total health assessment and exercise rewards programs). Note no space and capital W. Use this name in materials for employer/broker audiences only (For consumer/prospective member audiences, use HealthWorks by Kaiser Permanente.) OK to use HealthWorks alone on second and subsequent references in copy. In graphics, use the regular Kaiser Permanente masterbrand signature (logo) without thrive logo treatment. HealthWorks is not a Kaiser Permanente trademark, so no trademark symbol is used. Usage note: Naming is different for member and consumer/prospective member audiences. For details, see HealthWorks by Kaiser Permanente. Back to K Kaiser Permanente Healthy Solutions Kaiser Permanente Healthy Solutions A coordinated suite of services offering health coaches, health information, health tools, and a health assessment. Designed for nonmembers in Kaiser Permanente regions. Kaiser Permanente Healthy Solutions provides health care services for people at every stage of health—from active "health seekers" to those with behavioral risk factors and those with advanced chronic conditions. Available in Georgia and Colorado regions, as well as to PPO members in all regions. This name is not interchangeable with Avivia Health from Kaiser Permanente. Use full name on first reference; Healthy Solutions is acceptable on subsequent references. See Avivia Health from Kaiser Permanente. Back to K Kaiser Permanente identification card Kaiser Permanente identification card Spell out on first reference if space allows; otherwise, Kaiser Permanente ID card is acceptable on all references. Either member ID card or ID card is also acceptable for subsequent references. Do not use Health Plan ID card. Back to K Kaiser Permanente Individual Plan Kaiser Permanente Individual Plan Do not use. See Kaiser Permanente for Individuals and Families. Back to K Kaiser Permanente Information Technology IT is short for "information technology." If referring to the discipline rather than the KP organization, spell out and lowercase. Internally, when referring to the organization, use IT in all instances. Exception: Avoid if this will cause confusion in context. In that case, use Kaiser Permanente IT on first use and IT subsequently. Externally, use Kaiser Permanente IT or, if needed, Kaiser Permanente Information Technology. Never use "KP IT." If you need to use the KP acronym (for example, on an organizational chart), use KP IT with a space, not "KP-IT." Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company (KPIC) Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company (KPIC) A California corporation and licensed disability insurance company that issues and services policies of insurance covering the non-HMO component of the Kaiser Permanente point-of-service, PPO, and out-of-area products and other types of complementary insurance products. KPIC is a subsidiary of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., and the Permanente Medical Groups. Spell out first reference; acronym OK, but not preferred, for subsequent references. Acronym OK in legal disclaimers and listing of KPIC Customer Service phone numbers. Do not use registered trademark symbol (®). Back to K Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program The term "Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program" is a term used to describe the integrated delivery system composed of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and the eight Permanente Medical Groups. It is not a legal entity in itself, and should not be used as such. However, it is an acceptable term to use in describing the integrated nature of the operations of the legal entities that provide integrated care, which is a competitive advantage. Do not use for external audiences. Back to K Kaiser Permanente Personal Advantage Kaiser Permanente Personal Advantage Do not use. See Kaiser Permanente for Individuals and Families. Back to K Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Name used in many regions for Kaiser Permanente's plans for Medicare members. Because we do not own the trademark for Senior Advantage, we must use the full name Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage in brochure titles and in the first prominent reference on each page or spread; otherwise, it's OK to abbreviate to Senior Advantage. See also Medicare. Back to K KP KP Do not abbreviate Kaiser Permanente to KP in external communications. This is how we refer to ourselves internally, but it is not what our external audiences call us. Abbreviations of company names, such as FedEx, must be awarded by external audiences and this generally requires an organization to spend considerable marketing dollars to bring about. Back to K KP HealthConnect KP HealthConnect See Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect. Back to K kaiserpermanente.org, kp.org kaiserpermanente.org, kp.org Always lowercase. It is acceptable to use kp.org instead of kaiserpermanente.org as long as it would be clear to the reader what the kp stands for. That is, as long as our logo or full company name is somewhere near kp.org. Shortcut URLs are lowercase. kp.org/thrive Do not use www. in Kaiser Permanente Web addresses. Kaiser Permanente Web addresses always end in .org, which designates nonprofit status, never .com or .net. See also Web address, website. L L Labor Management Partnership (LMP) lab tests Latino, Hispanic lay, lie layoff (n.), lay off (v.) length of stay (n.) licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) licensed practical nurse (LPN) licensed vocational nurse (LVN) list, listing lists (bulleted) lists (numbered) living will logo (signature) low fat (n.), low-fat (adj.) Labor Management Partnership (LMP) Labor Management Partnership (LMP) Agreement between Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition of AFL-CIO Unions to bring a new level of labor involvement to Kaiser Permanente's day-to-day operations. Physicians, management, and labor are working together in all areas of our organization to meet shared goals of service excellence. Formerly National Labor-Management Partnership. Use acronym in internal communications only. Back to L lab tests lab tests This is an acceptable abbreviation and may be used in place of laboratory tests. Back to L Latino, Hispanic Latino, Hispanic In general, use Latino. Latina is used when referring only to a woman. Use Latino when referring to both men and women. Always initial capped. Use Hispanic if it is the personal preference of the subject or part of a formal name, or if citing a study or data that uses that term, such as from the Census or the CDC. Back to L lay, lie lay, lie To lay means to put something down or to place something somewhere. To lie means to recline, to rest, or to remain in a reclining position. Lay usually takes a direct object—a person can lay bricks, lay blame, or lay a book on a table. Lie, however, can never take an object—one cannot "lie" something, but a person or object can lie in a reclining position. Present or Future lay (to place) lie (to recline) Past laid lay Past Participle laid lain Present Participle laying lying Present or future tenses I will lay the book on the table. The prosecutor lays the blame on her.He lies on the beach all day. The shoes lie on the floor. Past tense Yesterday I laid the book on the table. The prosecutor laid the blame on her.He lay on the beach all day. The shoes lay on the floor. Past perfect tense (using past participle) Before I left the house, I had laid the book on the table.Before she realized what was happening, the prosecutor had laid the blame on her.Before he started working, he had lain on the beach every day for a month.Before he finally picked them up, the shoes had lain on the floor all week. Present perfect tense (using present participle) I am laying the book on the table. The prosecutor is laying the blame on him.He is lying on the beach. The shoes are lying on the floor. Back to L layoff (n.), lay off (v.) layoff (n.), lay off (v.) Back to L length of stay (n.) length of stay (n.) The length of stay averages 24 hours. Back to L licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) Social worker who assesses the family, environmental, and social factors that can have an impact on a person's illness. See also medical social worker. Back to L licensed practical nurse (LPN) licensed practical nurse (LPN) Nurse who works under the direction of registered nurses and physicians and is licensed to provide basic nursing care requiring technical knowledge and practical skills. See also licensed vocational nurse. Back to L licensed vocational nurse (LVN) licensed vocational nurse (LVN) Term for licensed practical nurses in California and Texas. See also licensed practical nurse (LPN). Back to L list, listing list, listing A phone book is a list of names, each of which is a listing. For a list of our facilities, go to kaiserpermanente.org. There are 240 listings in the Pediatrics Department phone book. Back to L lists (bulleted) lists (bulleted) (print style) You can use whichever style you prefer. You may use different styles within one document if needed, but be consistent within each list. Punctuate consistently within each style, and use a hanging indent when a bulleted item is longer than one line. Use parallel structure for all points within a list (e.g., each point begins with an action verb, or each point functions as a noun in a series, etc.). Style A All bulleted items begin with an initial cap and end with a period, even if they are not complete sentences. It is acceptable to eliminate the period if all items consist of just one or two words. Prevent injuries and accidents by taking the following steps: • Use seat belts, safety seats, and helmets. • Install and check smoke detectors at least once a year to be sure the batteries are working. • Lock up guns and keep ammunition separate. Style B All bulleted items begin with a lowercase letter and end with no period, even if they are complete sentences. Your child should receive the following immunizations: • hepatitis B (HBV), three shots total • polio vaccine (OPV or IPV), three doses total • measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), one shot total Style C The list and the copy that precedes it are punctuated as one complete sentence. If we deny your claim, we will send you a written decision that will include • the specific reasons why we denied your claim, • the Plan provisions on which we based our denial, and • information on your right to have a denial reconsidered. A colon at the end of a phrase introducing a list is acceptable, even if that phrase is not a full sentence, such as in the following example: Benefits of joining Kaiser Permanente include: Back to L lists (bulleted) (Web style) With sentence fragments If all items in the list are fragments, each should begin with a lowercase letter, and there should be no ending periods, commas, or semicolons. Our HMO product offers: low outpatient and prescription copayments covered hospitalization at no charge, depending on the benefit plan chose a full range of preventive care services With full sentences If one of the items is a full sentence, then make all the items into full sentences so that all can have ending periods. Ending punctuation should be a period, not a semicolon or comma. Here's the place to learn everything you need to know about getting care as a Kaiser Permanente member. Get information about our services, our facilities, and how to receive care when traveling. Learn about choosing a personal physician and receiving care from a specialist. Find out how easy it is to make appointments, refill prescriptions, and much more. Bulleted items should be short (maximum of 10 to 12 words). A colon at the end of a phrase introducing a list is acceptable, even if that phrase is not a full sentence, such as in the following example: Benefits of joining Kaiser Permanente include: Bulleted lists are preferred over numbered lists. Use numbered lists only when listing a sequence of actions. Back to L lists (numbered) lists (numbered) Use numbered lists only when listing a sequence of actions. In a vertical list with numbers, use periods after the numbers. To get your new number: 1. Call AT&T. 2. Talk to an operator. 3. Ask for a new number. Vertical lists with numbers are preferred for readability over numbered lists within a paragraph. However, if space is limited and you need to use a numbered list within a paragraph, use parentheses around the numbers, without periods. To get your new number, (1) call AT&T, (2) talk to an operator, and (3) ask for a new number. Back to L living will living will Do not use; this term is legally obsolete. See advance directives. Back to L logo (signature) logo (signature) Do not use the Kaiser Permanente signature (logo and logotype) in place of the words Kaiser Permanente in copy. Complete guidelines for use of the signature are included in the Kaiser Permanente Graphic Standards Guidelines at http://brand-identity.kp.org. Right: Welcome to Kaiser Permanente. Wrong: Welcome to Back to L low fat (n.), low-fat (adj.) low fat (n.), low-fat (adj.) Hyphenate only when preceding noun. We encourage you to eat low-fat foods. Dairy foods are generally not low fat. Back to L M M magnetic resonance imaging, MRI managed care (n.), managed-care (adj.) man power, man-hours MasterCard maximum allowable charge MD, PhD, PharmD, etc. measurements (dimensions) Medicaid Medi-Cal medical assistant medical center, Medical Center medical office, Medical Office medical office building medical professional medical record number medical school medical social worker medical specialties medical team Medicare Medicare Advantage Medicare Part A and Part B, Medicare Parts A and B Medicare Part D medications member member identification number member rate Member Services mind-body mobile device mobile health vehicle mobile phone modifiers money months more than, over most, many, some mottoes and slogans MRI mucus (n.), mucous (adj.) multidisciplinary multimillion multispecialty My Health Manager, My health manager magnetic resonance imaging, MRI magnetic resonance imaging, MRI OK to use the acronym in all references when indicating the procedure. Make sure the term is spelled out and explained if needed, depending on the context of the document. Right: They ran an MRI to determine the source of the problem. Wrong: They ran a magnetic resonance imaging to determine the source of the problem. Spell out on first reference and use acronym on subsequent references when indicating the technique. Right: They used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the source of the problem. MRI technology is a noninvasive procedure...etc., etc. Back to M managed care (n.), managed-care (adj.) managed care (n.), managed-care (adj.) This term applies to the integration of health care delivery and financing. It includes arrangements with providers to supply health care services to members, criteria for the selection of health care providers, significant financial incentives for members to use providers in the plan, and formal programs to monitor the amount of care and quality of services. Avoid using in member and consumer communications as you would with all health insurance jargon. Back to M man power, man-hours man power, man-hours Use staff or another synonym to avoid this noninclusive language. Back to M MasterCard MasterCard One word, cap C. MasterCard no longer requires the use of a registration mark with its name. . Back to M maximum allowable charge maximum allowable charge allowable, not allowed Back to M MD, PhD, PharmD, etc. MD, PhD, PharmD, etc. No periods. See academic degrees, titles. Back to M measurements (dimensions) measurements (dimensions) (print style) viewfile: (Wrapped) java.io.NotSerializableException: com.atlassian.confluence.security.ContentPermissionSet If Microsoft Word automatically changes these marks to "smart" marks, go to Tools>AutoCorrect>AutoFormat As You Type, and uncheck "Straight quotes with smart quotes." Back to M measurements (dimensions) (Web style) viewfile: (Wrapped) java.io.NotSerializableException: com.atlassian.confluence.security.ContentPermissionSet If Microsoft Word automatically changes these marks to "smart" marks, go to Tools>AutoCorrect>AutoFormat As You Type, and uncheck "Straight quotes with smart quotes." Back to M Medicaid Medicaid Federal program, administered and operated individually by participating state and territorial governments, that provides medical benefits to eligible low-income persons. The federal and state governments share the program's costs. Back to M Medi-Cal Medi-Cal California version of Medicaid. See also Medicaid. Back to M medical assistant medical assistant A medical assistant performs routine administrative and clinical tasks in an ambulatory (medical office) setting. Many have received formal training at a vocational school or community college. Certified medical assistants have passed an examination by the American Association of Medical Assistants. Also known as clinical assistant. Do not confuse with a physician assistant, who has advanced training and examines, diagnoses, and treats patients under the direct supervision of a physician. Back to M medical center, Medical Center medical center, Medical Center Depending on the region, Kaiser Permanente medical centers can be campuses with hospitals and medical offices, freestanding hospitals, or freestanding medical offices (inpatient or outpatient). In publications with a national scope, use medical facility. Lowercase when used generically. Go to the nearest medical center. Our medical center is two miles away. Capitalize when part of an official facility name. Include Kaiser Permanente on first reference unless it is obvious from the content that you're referring to a Kaiser Permanente facility or it would be redundant (e.g., Kaiser Permanente's Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center). First reference: Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center Second reference: our Woodland Hills Medical Center Not: Our Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center (Combining our and Kaiser Permanente is redundant and awkward). Back to M medical office, Medical Office medical office, Medical Office Kaiser Permanente medical offices usually offer primary care, laboratory, X-ray, and pharmacy services, but this may vary from office to office. Some medical offices may also provide only specialized outpatient services, such as eye care. Specific terminology may vary regionally. In publications with a national scope, use medical facility. Lowercase in generic references. We have several Kaiser Permanente medical offices in the Denver area. Capitalize when part of an official name. The Kaiser Permanente Thousand Oaks Medical Offices are located . . . Use the singular medical office unless the plural is part of the proper name. Our medical office staff will assist you, Carlsbad Medical Offices Important note: When a medical office, medical center, or department is moving, closing, opening, etc., the legal department requires facility materials to say that such changes are scheduled to happen rather than saying that they will happen. This is to protect Kaiser Permanente from legal liability if the facility change does not stay on schedule. See also clinic. Back to M medical office building medical office building Redundant; avoid using. See medical office. Back to M medical professional medical professional Health care professional is preferred over medical professional as it more fully describes the continuum of care provided by Kaiser Permanente and our focus on health and preventive care. See health care professional. Back to M medical record number medical record number Unique number assigned to each Kaiser Permanente member. Members keep the same medical record number, even if they disenroll and re-enroll or change Kaiser Permanente plans. Members' medical record numbers can be found on their Kaiser Permanente ID card. Called health record number in Colorado, Georgia, and the Northwest. Do not capitalize or abbreviate to MR# in external communications. In national publications, use health/medical record number. On kp.org, use Health/Medical Record number. Note the capitalization. See also health record number, Health/Medical Record number. Back to M medical school medical school Lowercase generic references. She completed medical school last year. Capitalize specific institutions. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Back to M medical social worker medical social worker Social workers who help patients and their families or caregivers with the adjustment that often follows illness. These services are provided in a medical office, hospital, or the patient's home, under a physician's orders. See also licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). Back to M medical specialties medical specialties Lowercase the names of medical specialties. He is board certified in podiatry and internal medicine. Also lowercase when using the medical specialty as an adjective. The new medical offices provide internal medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, and pediatrics services. Back to M medical team medical team Health care team is preferred over medical team because it more fully describes the continuum of care provided by Kaiser Permanente, the variety of professionals that provide that care, and our focus on health and prevention. Back to M Medicare Medicare Federal health insurance program for people 65 and older, people of any age with end-stage renal disease (permanent kidney failure treated with dialysis or a transplant), and certain people with disabilities who are under 65. Medicare is managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Medicare has two parts: Part A (hospital insurance) helps pay for necessary medical care and services furnished by Medicare-certified hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and hospices. Part B (medical insurance) helps pay for physician services, outpatient hospital services (including emergency room visits), ambulance transportation, diagnostic tests, laboratory services, some preventive care like mammography and Pap tests, outpatient therapy services, durable medical equipment and supplies, and a variety of other health services. Medicare marketing guidelines are available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ManagedCareMarketing/. Consumer information on Medicare is available at medicare.gov. Back to M Medicare Advantage Medicare Advantage Medicare Advantage is the new name (effective 2004) for Medicare + Choice plans offered by private health plans to Medicare eligibles. Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage is a Medicare Advantage plan. Back to M Medicare Part A and Part B, Medicare Parts A and B Medicare Part A and Part B, Medicare Parts A and B Either form is acceptable, although CMS uses the first form. Back to M Medicare Part D Medicare Part D A government-sponsored prescription drug plan that went into effect January 1, 2006. Its official name is the CMS Group Retiree Drug Subsidy (Option), but Medicare Part D is preferred. medications medications Medications or drugs are preferred over medicines, although medicines may be used if the words medications or drugs are repeated several times close together in text. Back to M member member Subscriber or dependent who is enrolled in Kaiser Permanente and pays membership dues. Not capitalized in general references. Always use this term to describe Kaiser Permanente subscribers and dependents. Do not use customer. Do not refer to members as patients, except in a medical context. See also patient. Back to M member identification number member identification number Do not use. See medical record number, Kaiser Permanente identification card. Back to M member rate member rate Price members pay for a drug that is not covered under their prescription drug benefit or that is provided on a coinsurance basis (e.g., 50 percent cost sharing). Back to M Member Services Member Services Each Kaiser Permanente Region uses different terminology for the customer/member service department. In national communications, use Member Services. On kp.org, use Member Services whenever possible. The cost of regionalizing every mention of Member Services is prohibitive, especially for online forms. For styling by region see KP Regions, Health Plans, and Medical Groups. mind-body mind-body (adj.) Hyphenate. Not mind/body. mind-body connection Back to M mobile device mobile device A compact, portable electronic device that is not used as a phone but does have Internet connectivity and texting capability (example: iPad). mobile health vehicle mobile health vehicle Fully equipped medical office on wheels that goes directly to work sites, communities, or events to deliver medical care. Lowercase. mobile phone mobile phone A portable electronic device used primarily for making and receiving telephone calls. Mobile phones cannot be assumed to have Internet capability, though most have text messaging capabilities. For devices with additional capabilities, see preferred terms smartphone or mobile device. modifiers modifiers When describing Kaiser Permanente's offerings in member and marketing communications, avoid modifiers that are vague or difficult to substantiate. Some terms to avoid, or to use with caution, include the following: all full complete comprehensive best finest greatest the most best quality lowest cost at no extra cost inexpensive generous liberal unlimited just merely only as high as minimum maximum See also absolutes, comprehensive care, superlatives. Back to M money money Always use figures. Do not use the ¢ symbol. Articles bought for $6 were sold for $6.75.In a very short time, gold prices rose from $35 an ounce to $375 an ounce.15 cents (not 15¢); $50 (not 50 dollars) Do not use zeros in even dollar amounts. $10 (not $10.00) For very large round sums, express in units of millions or billions. $1.5 million Back to M months months Capitalize the names of months in all uses. When a month is used with a specific date, you may abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas. EXAMPLES: January 1972 was a cold month. Jan. 2 was the coldest day of the month. His birthday is May 8. Feb. 14, 1987, was the target date. She testified that it was Friday, Dec. 3, when the accident occurred. In tabular material, use these three-letter forms without a period: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec. Back to M more than, over more than, over More than is the correct phrase to use when referring to countable things (as in for more than 50 years). However, over may be used for brevity in a headline or in the text of an advertisement. Back to M most, many, some most/many/some When describing a general amount or number (example: most physicians, many facilities, some people), use the following guidelines to determine which adjective is most accurate. Most: 51 percent or greater Many: approximately 30–50 percent Some: less than 30 percent Back to M mottoes and slogans mottoes and slogans Use quotation marks and capitalize the first word, even if the motto is not a complete sentence. Everyone is familiar with the saying "No pain, no gain." Back to M MRI MRI Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI is acceptable on first reference and in all uses. Back to M mucus (n.), mucous (adj.) mucus (n.), mucous (adj.) a discharge of mucus the mucous membrane Back to M multidisciplinary multidisciplinary One word. Back to M multimillion multimillion One word. Back to M multispecialty multispecialty One word. Back to M My Health Manager, My health manager My Health Manager (print style) Member section of kp.org in which members can email their doctor's office, request routine appointments, order prescription refills, view parts of their medical record, and more. Functionality varies by region. Is provided by the KP HealthConnect system, but we don't mention the HealthConnect name with member and consumer/prospective member audiences. Initial cap, no italics. My Health Manager is a great benefit for members. See also Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect. Back to M My health manager (Web style) Label for a group of core member tools and features on kp.org available to members only. My health manager (initial capital "M" only, no italics) is the correct styling for Web pages, emails, e-newsletters. Consider recasting a sentence — particularly in e-newsletters, landing pages, and emails — so that this label appears at beginning rather than in middle, where the capital "M" could look like a mistake or read awkwardly. My health manager gives you a bundle of time-saving tools that make caring for your health more convenient. You can email your doctor's office view test results request, cancel, or view upcoming appointments change your member profile See also Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect. Back to M N N names National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) National Institutes of Health (NIH) nationality National Labor-Management Partnership Native American (n.), Native-American (adj.) neonatal network-model HMO No. nonemergency nonfat (n., adj.) non-formulary non–Kaiser Permanente nonmember non-participating provider non-Plan facility, non-Plan physician, non-Plan provider nonprofit nonurgent not-for-profit not only . . . but also numbers nurse-midwife (NM), certified nurse-midwife (CNM) nurse practitioner (NP) nursing assistant (NA) names names First reference: Pamela Smith, Fred Jones Second reference: Smith, Jones or Pamela, Fred (in informal communications) Exception: When writing about people with the same surname, such as a husband and wife or brother and sister, use full names or "John Smith and his son, James," with "James" used in subsequent references to the son. See also academic degrees, titles. Back to N National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Use full name on first reference. Use NCQA on subsequent references. The National Committee for Quality Assurance is best known for its work in assessing and reporting on the quality of the nation's managed care plans through its accreditation and performance measurement programs. These programs produce information that consumers and employers can use to make more informed decisions about their health care.NCQA uses a standardized data reporting system, HEDIS® (Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set), to measure health plan quality. For more information on referencing NCQA in communications, go to www.ncqa.org. See also Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS®). Back to N National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institutes of Health (NIH) Agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that is the principal biomedical research arm of the federal government. NIH consists of the National Library of Medicine, numerous separate institutes and centers, and various regions that provide centralized support services for the individual institutes. Information on NIH institutes and centers can be found at nih.gov. Considered a singular entity, NIH takes a singular verb. The National Institutes of Health is located in Bethesda, Maryland. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to N National Labor-Management Partnership National Labor-Management Partnership Do not use. See Labor Management Partnership (LMP). Back to N nationality nationality See ethnicity, nationality, and race Native American (n.), Native-American (adj.) Native American (n.), Native-American (adj.) Capitalize both words. Refers to an American Indian, not to any native-born American. Back to N neonatal neonatal One word. Back to N network-model HMO network-model HMO HMO that contracts with two or more independent group practices and/or individual practice associations (IPAs). Back to N No. No. Do not use as the abbreviation for number in Web text, as screen readers interpret this as the word no (as in yes or no). Right: The number one choice for living well. Wrong: His No. 1 choice for college is Yale. Wrong: We are #1. nonemergency nonemergency No hyphen. Back to N nonfat (n., adj.) nonfat (n., adj.) No hyphen Back to N non-formulary non-formulary Note hyphen. non–Kaiser Permanente non–Kaiser Permanente In print, use an en dash, not a hyphen. On the Web, use a hyphen. (We don't have the ability to do en dashes on kp.org.) See also dash. Back to N nonmember nonmember Not "non-member." non-participating provider non-participating provider Note hyphen. non-Plan facility, non-Plan physician, non-Plan provider non-Plan facility, non-Plan physician, non-Plan provider Non-Plan in general indicates facilities, physicians, or providers that are not part of the Kaiser Permanente health care system. In external communications, avoid using non-Plan whenever possible to minimize confusion. For example, use outside of Kaiser Permanente rather than non-Plan. Back to N nonprofit nonprofit One word, no hyphen. Nonprofit is a legally defined term that refers to Kaiser Permanente Health Plan's tax-exempt organizational status with the IRS. Not-for-profit is a broader term that doesn't necessarily include entities with tax-exempt status. We refer to ourselves as nonprofit in order to reinforce that legal definition with the IRS and other regulatory agencies. Keeping our tax-exempt status is a very high priority for Legal, since having that status revoked would be a financial burden for Kaiser Permanente. See Kaiser Permanente for information on how to use nonprofit when talking about Kaiser Permanente. Back to N nonurgent nonurgent Not non-urgent. Back to N not-for-profit not-for-profit Do not use. See nonprofit. Back to N not only . . . but also not only . . . but also No comma before but also. Back to N numbers numbers (print style) Generally, spell out numbers from one through nine. Use figures for 10 and above. Use commas for numbers 1,000 and higher. Help is available 24 hours a day.There are three physicians in the Dermatology Department.There are 2,500 entries in the database. For press releases, follow AP style. There are three physicians in the Dermatology Department, 11 in the Cardiology Department, and 14 in the Oncology Department, for a total of 28 physicians in the three departments. Otherwise, do not mix spelled-out numbers and figures in the same sentence for numbers in the same category. Care is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are 3 physicians in the Dermatology Department, 11 in the Cardiology Department, and 14 in the Oncology Department, for a total of 28 physicians in the three departments. Always use figures for dates, ages, dimensions, percentages, chapter and page numbers, money, mathematical computations, and time. Also use figures for sections, volumes, and parts (e.g., Healthy Pregnancy, Part 3). In general, use figures for all numbers in headlines. General Motors identifies 6 benchmark health plans Figures should not begin a sentence. Although AP allows the use of figures when beginning a sentence with a year (1976 was America's Bicentennial), we recommend rewriting the sentence to avoid such a construction. Always use commas with figures in the thousands or above. 1,200 or 30,000 Avoid using Roman numerals. Ordinals: Spell out first through ninth when they indicate sequence or location. Use figures for 10th and above. Do not superscript ordinals. She was first in line. It was their 50th anniversary. Percents: See percent entry. Range: Use the word to or an en dash to indicate a range. Do not use a hyphen. 50–75 years old; 50 to 75 years old Rankings: Symbol and digit OK; when spelling out, lowercase. His sense of humor was the #1 reason I fell in love with him. His sense of humor was the number one reason I fell in love with him. See also addresses, ages, dates, fractions, measurements, money, percent, temperature, time. Back to N numbers (Web style) Generally, use figures for all numbers (timelines, quantities, ages, dates, measurements). Note: This is a break with AP and print conventions. It accommodates the "skimming" style users adopt when reading Web copy, and also makes text more readable when viewed on mobile devices. Help is available 24 hours a day. There are 3 physicians in the Dermatology department. Care is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Numbers should only be spelled out if they are used in a way not relative to timelines, quantities, ages, dates, or measurements. In general, spell out "one" when referring to individuals, ideas, or abstractions. Right: It is a one-of-a-kind facility. Wrong: It is a 1-of-a-kind facility. Right: A survey found that 1 out of 10 physicians recommend the procedure. Wrong: A survey found that one out of 10 physicians recommend the procedure. Other correct examples: You get all this in just one plan! You'll get 4 one-on-one sessions. Choose this one, that one, or a combination of the two. Never allow yourself to think, "One won't hurt." Lost 10 pounds? That deserves a high-five. Spell out "zero" in body copy, so as not to confuse it with the letter "O," or rewrite to avoid. Right: There have been zero infections so far this year. Again, there have been no infections. Wrong: There have been 0 infections. Use the Arabic numeral in front of "million" or "billion." The donation totaled more than 1 million dollars. Figures should not be used at the beginning of a sentence. If possible, the sentence should be rewritten to avoid having the figure start the sentence. Only if this is not possible and the number has to be at the beginning of the sentence should the number be spelled out. Always use commas with figures in the thousands or above. 1,200 or 30,000 Avoid using Roman numerals. Fractions Use numerals and slashes to render amounts under 1. 3/4 2/3 5/16 For mixed numbers, render with a whole number followed by a space, followed by the fraction. 1 1/2 3 5/8 4 3/4 In charts and tables, use decimals. If the decimals are a mixture of tenths, hundredths, thousandths, etc., then make all the numbers consistent with the one showing the most specificity. Right: 1.75 2.00 1.50 Wrong: 1.75 2 1.5 Ordinals: Spell out first through ninth when they indicate sequence or location. Use figures for 10th and above. Do not superscript ordinals. She was first in line. It was their 50th anniversary. Range: Use the word "to" when indicating a range. Do not use a hyphen or en dash. 50 to 75 years old Rankings: Symbol and digit are both acceptable; when spelling out, lowercase. His sense of humor was the #1 reason I fell in love with him. His sense of humor was the number one reason I fell in love with him. See also addresses, ages, dates, fractions, measurements, money, percent, temperature, time. Back to N nurse-midwife (NM), certified nurse-midwife (CNM) nurse-midwife (NM), certified nurse-midwife (CNM) Registered nurse who has received additional training as a midwife and is licensed to deliver infants and provide antepartum and postpartum care in accordance with the laws of the state where the nurse practices. Certified nurse-midwives have also graduated from a program accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives and have passed a national certification examination. Back to N nurse practitioner (NP) nurse practitioner (NP) Registered nurse who has completed advanced training and is qualified to assume some of the duties and responsibilities traditionally performed by a physician, such as physical exams and diagnosing and treating illnesses, in accordance with the laws of the state where the nurse practices. Back to N nursing assistant (NA) nursing assistant (NA) Nonlicensed worker who assists nurses in a hospital by performing unspecialized services such as making beds or giving baths. Sometimes called a medical assistant. NAs also work in hospices and nursing homes, and as home health aides. Back to N O O Obamacare obese, obesity obstetrics-gynecology, ob-gyn Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) occupational therapist (OT) offline, online OK on call, on-call online, offline on screen (adv.), onscreen (adj.) on-site, off-site open enrollment (OE) ophthalmologist orthotics osteopathy outcome out of area (n.), out-of-area (adj.) out-of-pocket expenses out-of-pocket limit, out-of-pocket maximum over, more than overweight Obamacare Obamacare See Affordable Care Act. Do not use unless quoting someone. If the term is essential, write something with quotes around the word. For instance: He spoke of the Affordable Care Act, which he referred to as "Obamacare." obese, obesity obese (adj.), obesity (n.) A clinical term describing a person whose body mass index (BMI) is significantly above normal. The actual BMI that determines obesity varies in children, teens, and adults. Specific guidelines are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at cdc.gov. Use the term obese or obesity when referring to a specific clinical issue about weight. Use overweight in a general discussion on weight. See also overweight. Back to O obstetrics-gynecology, ob-gyn obstetrics-gynecology, ob-gyn ob-gyn (hyphen, not a slash, with both the o and g lowercased) is the acceptable abbreviation for either obstetrician-gynecologist (the person) or obstetrics-gynecology (the specialty). You may see an obstetrician-gynecologist without a referral. You may see an ob-gyn without a referral. Capitalize the O and G when part of a proper name. The Ob-Gyn Department is located on the second floor. Use full term on first reference, ob-gyn on subsequent references. Not: OB-GYN (all caps) Back to O Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Federal agency responsible for developing and enforcing regulations regarding the safety and health of workers in the United States. Use full name on first reference, OSHA on subsequent references. Back to O occupational therapist (OT) occupational therapist (OT) Person trained in or engaged in the practice of occupational therapy, which promotes rehabilitation and recovery through activity. Back to O offline, online offline, online No hyphen. Please note: Lotus Notes will flag "online" and suggest "on-line," but KP style uses the closed version. Back to O OK OK No periods. OK'd, not okayed. Back to O on call, on-call on call, on-call Two words when used as a prepositional phrase; hyphenated when used as an adjective. My on-call schedule tells me when I'm on call. Back to O online, offline online, offline No hyphen or suspended hyphen. We offer both online and offline materials for our members. Back to O on screen (adv.), onscreen (adj.) on screen (adv.), onscreen (adj.) He proofread the copy on screen. Follow the onscreen instructions. Back to O on-site, off-site on-site, off-site Hyphenated both as an adjective and adverb. Kaiser Permanente offers on-site wellness programs. Employees can take classes on-site. Back to O open enrollment (OE) open enrollment (OE) Period during which employees may enroll in a health plan, add dependents, or change their health plans, choosing from those offered by their employer without restriction; that is, without evidence of insurability or a waiting period. Typically, open enrollment occurs once a year, in the fall, and lasts for one month. Never initial cap as a proper noun. Do not use acronym in external communications. In internal communications, acronym may be used in subsequent references only. Back to O ophthalmologist ophthalmologist Physician trained and licensed to examine, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases of the eye. Not synonymous with optometrist. See also doctor of optometry, optometrist (OD) Back to O orthotics orthotics Branch of mechanical and medical science that deals with the support and bracing of weak or ineffective bones, joints, or muscles. Also, the devices used for this purpose. Back to O osteopathy osteopathy System of medicine based on the theory that disturbances in the musculoskeletal system affect other bodily parts, causing many disorders that can be corrected by various manipulative techniques in conjunction with conventional medical, surgical, pharmacological, and other therapeutic procedures. See doctor of osteopathy (DO). Back to O outcome outcome Outcome is the result of the medical care provided and has traditionally denoted whether or not a patient benefited physically from treatment. In recent years the terminology has expanded to include such outcomes as patient satisfaction and quality of life. Do not use in member or consumer communications. Back to O out of area (n.), out-of-area (adj.) out of area (adv.), out-of-area (adj.) Merely a descriptive term; it is not capitalized unless part of an official Kaiser Permanente plan name. Do not use the acronym OOA for consumer or member audiences. Your out-of-area employees can have Kaiser Permanente coverage. The Kaiser Permanente Out-of-Area Plan can cover your employees. Your employees are covered even if they live out of area. Back to O out-of-pocket expenses out-of-pocket expenses Amount a member pays for covered health services, including copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. Do not use acronym OOP for member or consumer audiences unless absolutely necessary for space in benefit charts. Back to O out-of-pocket limit, out-of-pocket maximum out-of-pocket limit, out-of-pocket maximum Maximum amount of out-of-pocket expenses members will pay for certain services as designated by their evidence of coverage. Once this limit is reached, benefits for the designated covered services are covered 100 percent during the rest of that calendar year. Do not use acronym OOP for member or consumer audiences unless absolutely necessary for space in benefit charts. Back to O over, more than over, more than Although over is sometimes used for brevity in a headline or in the text of an advertisement, more than is the correct phrase when referring to countable things (as in for more than 60 years). Back to O overweight overweight A nonclinical term meaning having more body weight than is considered normal or healthy for one's age or build. Use in general discussions about weight. See also obese, obesity. Back to O P P page Pap test paragraph formatting paramedic parentheses patient Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Patient Self-Determination Act payer peak flow meter pediatric, pediatrics, Pediatrics Department percent Permanente Company, LLC Permanente Dental Associates Permanente Federation, LLC Permanente Medical Group Personal Advantage personal care physician personal health information personal physician personal practitioner phone numbers physiatry physical exam, physical physical therapist (PT) physician physician assistant (PA), physician assistant, certified (PA-C) physician-designed, physician-led physician in chief pickup (n.), pick up (v.) Pilates Plan Plan provider point of service (n.), point-of-service (adj.) possessives postoperative, post-op postpartum practitioner preauthorization precertification pre-existing preferred provider organization (PPO) prefixes premiums prenatal preoperative, pre-op prepositions prescription preventative Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes Everyday (PHASE) preventive preventive health care primary care primary care physician principal (n., adj.), principle (n.) Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS) Program Program Offices Programwide prostate gland prosthetics protected health information (PHI) provider public health nurse (PHN) punctuation and punctuation marks punctuation spacing purchaser page page (print style) Do not capitalize in running text when referring reading to information elsewhere in a publication. Please see department listings on page 8. Back to P page (Web style) Use page when referring to a specific section of a computer screen or Web page. Avoid using screen, except to vary the wording in cases where page becomes repetitious. See the bottle image on the left side of the page. Back to P Pap test Pap test Test for cervical and uterine cancer named after George Papanicolaou, the physician who developed it. Do not use Pap smear. Initial cap on Pap only. Back to P paragraph formatting paragraph formatting Style A (generally used in newsletters and magazines) First paragraph following a headline, title, or subhead is not indented. Each subsequent paragraph is indented. No line of space between paragraphs. Style B (can be used in any type of collateral or on the Web) Line of space between each paragraph. Copy is not indented following headlines, titles, or subheads or at the beginning of any paragraph. Back to P paramedic paramedic Specially trained medical technician licensed to provide a wide range of emergency services (such as defibrillation and intravenous administration of drugs) before or during a patient's transportation to a hospital. See also emergency medical technician (EMT). Back to P parentheses parentheses See brackets and parentheses. Back to P patient patient Member is preferred; however, patient may be acceptable when referring to a hospitalized member or nonmember, or when describing a patient-physician or patient-clinician interaction. See also member. Back to P Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act See Affordable Care Act. Patient Self-Determination Act Patient Self-Determination Act Federal legislation passed in 1991 requiring HMOs, hospitals, and certain other providers to furnish adult patients with information concerning their right to make decisions about their medical care. See also advance directives. Back to P payer payer Not payor. Back to P peak flow meter peak flow meter No hyphen. Back to P pediatric, pediatrics, Pediatrics Department pediatric, pediatrics, Pediatrics Department Use pediatric (no s) as an adjective. The Kaiser Permanente Fairfield Medical Offices offer pediatric services. The name of the specialty is pediatrics (lowercase, with an s). It is a noun that is singular in form. He specialized in pediatrics. Pediatrics is her specialty. The name of the department is Pediatrics (capitalized, with an s). After-hours appointments are available in Pediatrics. (Department is understood.) The Pediatrics Department is on the first floor. Back to P percent percent Always use figures with percentages, except when beginning a sentence. Always spell out percent in text; use the % symbol in tabulations, tables, and charts. Do not repeat percent when stating a range. Right: She says 2 to 4 percent will see the show again. Wrong: She says 2 percent to 4 percent will see the show again. Back to P Permanente Company, LLC Permanente Company, LLC As of December 31, 2009, The Permanente Company, LLC has been merged into The Permanente Federation, LLC. See also Permanente Federation Back to P Permanente Dental Associates Permanente Dental Associates Professional corporation of dentists in the Northwest Region that provides prepaid dental care. Back to P Permanente Medical Group Permanente Medical Group Either a partnership or a professional corporation of physicians. There is a Permanente Medical Group in each Kaiser Permanente region that assumes the full responsibility for providing and arranging necessary medical care for Kaiser Permanente members. OK to use Permanente physicians except in member and consumer communications, where Kaiser Permanente physician is preferred. Back to P Permanente Federation, LLC Permanente Federation, LLC Always include The and capitalize the T when using the full name The Permanente Federation. OK to shorten to the Federation (lower-case t ) in subsequent mentions. Group partnership, formed on January 6, 1997, to represent the national interests of the Permanente Medical Groups. Entrusted with carefully proscribed, national decision-making authority for the regional Permanente Medical Groups. On behalf of the Permanente Medical Groups, serves as the national partner with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., on Programwide initiatives. Back to T Personal Advantage Personal Advantage See Kaiser Permanente Personal Advantage. Back to P personal physician personal physician Preferred over primary care physician because it is friendlier. If a member can choose a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant for primary care, use personal practitioner. personal care physician personal care physician Preferred term is personal physician or primary care physician. Do not abbreviate to PCP. personal health information personal health information See protected health information. personal practitioner personal practitioner Preferred term is personal physician or primary care physician. Do not abbreviate to PCP. phone numbers phone numbers (print style) Always include area codes in phone numbers. Digits should be separated with a hyphen, not parentheses, for consistency across KP publications. Never use periods to separate numbers; it makes the phone number more difficult to read. Vanity phone numbers Take care in using "vanity" numbers, as they can cause confusion by forcing the reader to take the frustrating extra step of translating the letters into numbers before calling. If you do use a vanity number, make sure the actual full number immediately follows: 323-783-FIND (323-783-3463) For easy reference in text, single phone numbers may be bolded or colorized if it does not create a visual distraction on the page. Do not use 800 as a synonym for toll free (888, 877, and 866 are also toll free). Right: We provide a toll-free number for your convenience. Wrong: We provide an 800 number for your convenience. Always use a "1" with toll-free phone numbers. Right: Call 1-800-555-1212 Wrong: Call 877-555-1212 (toll free) Wrong: Call our toll-free 800 number (redundant) Do not hyphenate toll free when it follows the number. When a phone number includes an option to select, either bold the entire entry, or bold just the phone number portion: Right: 1-800-555-1234 (option 3) Right: 1-800-555-1234 (option 3) Wrong: 1-800-555-1234 (option 3) When referring to the nationwide emergency number, 911, not 9-1-1, is preferred. Back to P phone numbers (Web style) Always include area codes in phone numbers. Digits should be separated with a hyphen, not parentheses, for consistency across KP regions and publications (some regions use 10-digit numbers). Never use periods to separate numbers; it makes the phone number more difficult to read. When referring to the nationwide emergency number, 911, not 9-1-1, is preferred. Vanity phone numbers Take care in using "vanity" numbers, as they can cause confusion by forcing the reader to take the frustrating extra step of translating the letters into numbers before calling. If you do use a vanity number, make sure the actual full number immediately follows. 1-800-33-ASK ME (1-800-332-7563) (toll free) 323-85-PANIC (323-857-2642) Toll-free numbers Always include the long-distance access code "1" with toll-free numbers. Indicate in parentheses that 800 numbers are toll free. Right: 1-800-332-7563 (toll free) Wrong: 800-332-7563 (toll free) Do not use 800 as a synonym for toll free (888, 877, and 866 are also toll free). Right: We provide a toll-free number for your convenience. Wrong: We provide an 800 number for your convenience. At-a-glance phone formats Regular phone numbers 503-123-4567 Toll-free numbers 1-800-223-3333 (toll free); 1-866-555-1212 (toll free) TTY numbers 626-555-2345 (TTY for the hearing/speech impaired) Toll-free, TTY numbers 1-800-555-6789 (toll-free TTY for the hearing/speech impaired) physiatry physiatry Special branch of medicine specifically dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of physical disability. Physiatrists are doctors who are certified as specialists in rehabilitation medicine by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Back to P physical exam, physical physical exam Use physical exam. Do not use short form physical as a noun. Back to P physical therapist (PT) physical therapist (PT) Medical professional who identifies and helps correct and alleviate a patient's acute or prolonged musculoskeletal or neurological dysfunction. Back to P physician physician Physician, rather than doctor, should be used if the medical context might not be clear and the reader could think you're talking about a veterinarian, a PhD, or a dentist, to name a few. Doctor may be used when talking specifically about a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy, and in situations that call for variety or a more informal tone. She saw her doctor for a checkup. Al Weiland is a physician. In text, use a physician's full name followed by his or her degree for the first reference. In subsequent mentions, place the courtesy title in front of the last name. Use of the physician's name in a headline counts as first reference. First reference: Sharon Greene, MD Subsequent references: Dr. Greene When referring to physicians, avoid the term provider. See also clinician, health care professional, medical professional, practitioner, provider. Back to P physician assistant (PA), physician assistant, certified (PA-C) physician assistant (PA); physician assistant, certified (PA-C) Medical professional licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and in most states can write prescriptions. PA-Cs have passed a national certification exam and meet continuing education and testing requirements to retain their certification. Back to P physician-designed, physician-led physician-designed, physician-led These terms can be useful in conveying the idea that, within the Kaiser Permanente model of care, physicians play a significant role in the decision-making process. However, exercise caution when using these terms because members may associate them with an autocratic system in which they are not allowed to participate. Do not use these terms when referring to Kaiser Permanente as a whole or a Kaiser Permanente program that is not specifically designed or led by physicians. Back to P physician in chief physician in chief Not physician in charge. No hyphens. Use initial caps only when title precedes a name. Physician in Chief John Smith, MD, has been with Kaiser Permanente for 25 years. John Smith, MD, physician in chief in Glendale, has been with Kaiser Permanente for 25 years. pickup (n.), pick up (v.) pickup (n.), pick up (v.) You may pick up your prescriptions. Your prescription will be ready for pickup at noon. Back to P Pilates Pilates A fitness program emphasizing flexibility and strength for the entire body. Created by Joseph Pilates. Always begin with uppercase P. Back to P Plan Plan Avoid substituting for Kaiser Permanente in external communications. However, if Plan must legally be used to refer specifically to a Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (for example, in legal documents such as EOCs) , it is capitalized. Back to P Plan provider Plan provider Generally, Plan provider includes the Permanente Medical Groups and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Kaiser Permanente pharmacies, and other facilities that are part of the Kaiser Permanente program. Plan provider may also include hospitals, physicians, medical groups, pharmacies, or other health care providers that are contracted by Kaiser Permanente to provide medical services to Kaiser Permanente members. Specific definitions of Plan provider may vary from region to region. See also Plan. point of service (n.), point-of-service (adj.) point of service (n.), point-of-service (adj.) Type of HMO coverage that gives members the ability to choose, at the point of service, to receive care from an in-network HMO physician, a preferred provider organization (PPO) physician, or, in some cases, any licensed physician. Typically, in-network care costs less than out-of-network care, where members may pay deductibles and a percentage of the cost of care. Hyphenate only when used as an adjective preceding a noun and capitalize only as official plan name. With the Kaiser Permanente Point-of-Service Plan, you can receive care from Kaiser Permanente providers or PHCS Network providers. Kaiser Permanente introduced its first point-of-service product in the late 1990s. You can make your choice at the point of service. Kaiser Permanente's point-of-service plan is called Added Choice® only in the Hawaii and Mid-Atlantic States Regions. See Added Choice®. Back to P possessives possessives Follow The Associated Press Stylebook guidelines. Note that proper names ending in s are followed only by an apostrophe, e.g., Gates'. For the Web, use a straight apostrophe, not a "smart" or curly apostrophe. If Microsoft Word automatically changes these marks to "smart" marks, go to Tools>AutoCorrect>AutoFormat As You Type, and uncheck "Straight quotes with smart quotes." Back to P postoperative, post-op postoperative, post-op The forms are interchangeable, although post-op is less formal. Postoperative does not have a hyphen. The patient's postoperative (or post-op) condition is excellent. The patient was taken to post-op. Back to P postpartum postpartum One word, no hyphen. Back to P practitioner practitioner Can be used to refer to all clinicians (physicians and nonphysicians). Practitioners are usually required to be licensed as defined by law. You may also refer to them as health care practitioners. Back to P preauthorization preauthorization No hyphen. Back to P precertification precertification No hyphen. Back to P pre-existing pre-existing Use hyphen. Back to P preferred provider organization (PPO) preferred provider organization (PPO) Network of physicians and hospitals that contracts with a health plan, generally at a discounted rate, to provide care to the plan's members. Members of the plan who choose providers from the PPO usually receive better benefits at a lower cost than they would when choosing providers outside the PPO. Also used to describe health plans that allow members to see physicians in this type of network. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to P prefixes prefixes Follow Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition, and The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, pages 307–308, rather than The Associated Press Stylebook. Nearly all compounds formed with Latin prefixes (e.g., anti, bi, co, con, multi, post, pre, pro, re, semi) and prefixes such as over and under are treated as one word, no hyphen. Exceptions are words that would otherwise be confusing or misleading (co-worker, post-op, pre-existing, re-enroll). See also hyphen. premiums premiums Use premiums when communicating to members concerning payments. It can be used interchangeably with rates, as appropriate; however, use one term consistently throughout a document or campaign to avoid confusing the reader. See also dues, rates. Back to P prenatal prenatal One word. Back to P preoperative, pre-op preoperative, pre-op The forms are interchangeable, although pre-op is less formal. Preoperative (or pre-op) procedures have been completed. Back to P prepositions prepositions It is acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition only if needed for conversational tone or for effect in marketing or advertising materials. Back to P prescription prescription Whenever possible, use order prescription refills online to describe our refill services available through My Health Manager. This language is more precise than refill prescriptions online, which Legal has noted might imply members may be able to contact a pharmacist while placing an order for a refill. Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes Everyday (PHASE) Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes Everyday Note proper spelling of “everyday.” preventative preventative Do not use. Use preventive. Back to P preventive preventive Not preventative. Back to P preventive health care preventive health care Not preventative. Health care (mostly primary care) that emphasizes prevention, early detection, and early treatment of disease. Preventive care includes routine physical exams, immunizations, and wellness programs. Back to P primary care primary care General medical care provided by a medical professional — usually a physician or nurse practitioner in family practice or family medicine, internal medicine, or pediatrics — who may refer patients to a specialist for further treatment. Back to P primary care physician primary care physician Preferred term is personal physician. Lowercase, no hyphen. Primary care physicians may specialize in family practice, internal medicine, and pediatrics. In some areas, obstetrics/gynecology is considered primary care. Do not abbreviate to PCP. Back to P principal (n., adj.), principle (n.) principal (n., adj.), principle (n.) Principal and principle are often confused but have no meanings in common. Principle usually refers to a standard, rule, or basic belief or truth. The principles of democracy. Stick to your principles. Principal as a noun usually refers to a person who holds a high position or plays an important role. The principal suspended the student for a week. Principal as an adjective has the sense of most important, consequential, or influential. Sharon's principal concern was the health of her baby. Back to P Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS) Private Healthcare Systems/PHCS Now simply called PHCS. Do not use full name on any references. Provider network with which Kaiser Permanente Insurance Company (KPIC) has contracted to provide medical care for our point-of-service (POS) members in several regions. Back to P Program Program Shortened version of Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program. For internal use only. Always capitalize. See Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program. Back to P Program Offices Program Offices Program Offices is used to refer to the national headquarters for Kaiser Permanente, located in Oakland, California. Kaiser Permanente's national functions and national leadership team, including the CEO of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan, are primarily located at Program Offices, though Program Offices staff can be found throughout the U.S. This term should generally not be used in external communications. Back to P Programwide Programwide For internal use only; do not hyphenate. Used to describe action occurring nationally across the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program. Do not use Kaiserwide or Kaiser-wide. The new database will be implemented Programwide. See Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program. Back to P prostate gland prostate gland Not prostrate. Back to P prosthetics prosthetics Branch of medicine or surgery that deals with the production and application of artificial body parts. Back to P protected health information (PHI) protected health information (PHI) Any personally identifiable information, whether oral or recorded in any form or medium, that is created or received by a user, owner, health plan, public health authority, employer, life insurer, school or university, or health care clearinghouse relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of the individual; the provision of health care to the individual; or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to the individual identifies the individual directly or provides a reasonable basis to believe that the information can be used to identify the individual May also be referred to as personal health information. Protected health information is preferred. provider provider Avoid in member and consumer communications when referring to physicians or other medical professionals, because this term has an "institutional" feel. Acceptable as an umbrella term to refer to any facility, organization, or medical professional (including physicians) that provides care. See also clinician, doctor, health care professional, medical professional, physician, practitioner. Back to P public health nurse (PHN) public health nurse (PHN) Nurse employed by a hospital or social-service agency to perform public health services, such as visiting sick persons at home. Back to P punctuation and punctuation marks punctuation and punctuation marks See the Punctuation section of this wiki for specifics. For punctuation questions not covered in this Editorial Style Guide or answered by The Associated Press Stylebook, including note and bibliographical forms, consult The Chicago Manual of Style. Back to P punctuation spacing punctuation spacing Use only one space after punctuation that completes a sentence. This two-space rule, used with typewriters, is no longer needed. Use one space following a colon introducing a series. Back to P purchaser purchaser Do not use externally. The preferred terms for businesses or other organizations that purchase health care services from Kaiser Permanente are employer, group, union, trust, or association. See employer. Back to P Q Q Q&A qi gong quotation marks Q&A Q&A Short form for questions and answers. Abbreviate and use an ampersand (&) symbol rather than and. No space before and after the ampersand. OK on first reference. See also FAQ. Back to Q qi gong qi gong An internal, meditative practice that uses slow movements and controlled breathing techniques to improve posture, balance, coordination, endurance, flexibility, and general health. Other spellings and transliterations of the original Chinese characters can be found. Use qi gong in Kaiser Permanente materials. See also tai chi. Back to Q quotation marks quotation marks In general, break out quotes into a new paragraph. In Web copy, use straight apostrophes and quotes. Typography: Use smart/curved quotation marks in printed documents. In Microsoft Word: 1. On the Tools menu, click AutoCorrect Options, and then click the AutoFormat As You Type tab. 2. Under Replace as you type, select or clear the "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes" check box. Attribution When quoting dialogue, introduce the attribution as soon as comfortably possible so readers know who is speaking: Right: "Lexi's hair wasn't the right type for that treatment because it was too curly," said her mother, Lisa Stasser, a cosmetologist. "It just drove Lexi crazy. Lexi found her own hair so boring so I gave her a few highlights and for a while, that was fine," she said. Wrong: "Lexi's hair wasn't the right type for that treatment because it was too curly. It just drove Lexi crazy. Lexi found her own hair so boring so I gave her a few highlights and for a while, that was fine," said her mother, Lisa Stasser, a cosmetologist. When introducing a new speaker, introduce the attribution before beginning the quote: Right: "We were delighted to receive fresh fruit on our plates," said new mom Penny Loafer. Her husband Lou called the new maternity menu unexpected. "We are used to soggy eggs and toast," said the dad of five. Wrong: "We really enjoyed receiving fresh fruit on our plates," said new mom Penny Loafer. "We are used to soggy eggs and toast," said her husband Lou, the father of five. foreign languages: In Spanish and other foreign languages, the rules governing placement of quotation marks and other punctuation can vary. Do not change punctuation in foreign languages without consulting a translator. with commas and periods: Commas and periods go inside the quotation marks. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," said Neil Armstrong. A used car is sometimes called "pre-owned." with colons and semicolons: Colons and semicolons are placed outside the quotation marks. Bring these things along for a "White Christmas": skis, boots, and snowshoes. with exclamation points and question marks: Exclamation points and question marks are placed either inside or outside the quotation marks, depending on the meaning to be conveyed. Was it necessary to put up all those signs reading "No Trespassing"? He posted a sign on the dashboard: "Are your seat belts fastened?" quotes within quotes: Quotes within quotes are set within single quotation marks. Recalling the moment of her first child's birth, she whispered, "When the doctor said, 'Congratulations; it's a boy,' I knew my life had changed forever, and I began to cry." as a continuing part of a sentence: A quotation used as a continuing part of a sentence begins with a lowercase letter, even if the original quotation is a complete sentence beginning with a capital letter. Like Hamlet, he feels that "the time is out of joint." in consecutive paragraphs: When a long quotation is split into two or more consecutive paragraphs, use quotation marks at the beginning of each paragraph; however, use an end quote only after the last paragraph. "Medicine is not as magical as we once thought. If someone takes the time to explain a problem or a treatment to us, we can usually make a pretty good decision about what is best for us. "Use your common sense to become a working partner with your doctors. The best medical tests, diagnosticians, and medical specialists are not enough. Good medical care also requires your own common sense." Back to Q R R race radiology raffle rates ratios recipes re-enroll references region, Region regionwide registered dietitian (RD) registered nurse (RN) represented, nonrepresented respiratory care practitioner (RCP) restrictive modifiers, nonrestrictive modifiers RICE room, Room RSVP Rx race race See ethnicity, nationality, and race. Back to R radiology radiology See diagnostic imaging. Back to R raffle raffle Do not use. Instead, use free drawing for prizes. Do not use free door prizes unless everyone gets a door prize. Back to R rates rates Use rates when communicating to any audience. It can be used to mean members' payments for coverage, as well as employers' payments to Kaiser Permanente. Rates can be used interchangeably with premiums, as appropriate, in consumer and member materials; however, use one term consistently throughout a document or campaign to avoid confusing the reader. See also dues, premiums. Back to R ratios ratios Use figures and hyphens to form ratios. The ratio was 2-to-1; a ratio of 2-to-1. In print copy, the word to should be omitted and a colon used when the numbers precede the word ratio. It was a 2:1 ratio. In Web copy, the word to should always be used when writing ratios because of accessiblity issues. The ratio was 2-to-1, It was a 2-to-1 ratio not It was a 2-1 ratio. Back to R recipes recipes Use figures for amounts, and spell out measurements such as cup, teaspoon, tablespoon, and ounces. 2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk 1 teaspoon baking soda However, if space is limited, measurements may be abbreviated. 1 tbsp honey Use fractional characters, not decimals, for whole numbers plus fractions. 1¼, not 1.25 Back to R re-enroll re-enroll Hyphenated. Back to R references references (print style) For notes and bibliographies, follow The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition. periodicals: 1. M.H. Sager, "Efficacy of Acupuncture," JAMA, 1 April 1998, 22-28. books: 2. Wendy Schlessel Harpham, When a Parent Has Cancer: A Guide to Caring for Your Children (New York: Harper Collins, 1997), 38. Footnote numerals are placed outside the punctuation. Recent research from Duke University supported the original findings.¹ When you are producing materials to be published by organizations outside Kaiser Permanente, such as a publishing house or a professional association (e.g., American Medical Association or American Psychological Association), be sure to follow the style guide preferred by that organization. Back to R references (Web style) For notes and bibliographies, follow The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition. periodicals: 1. M.H. Sager, "Efficacy of Acupuncture," JAMA, 1 April 1998, 22 to 28. books: 2. Wendy Schlessel Harpham, When a Parent Has Cancer: A Guide to Caring for Your Children (New York: Harper Collins, 1997), 38. Footnote numerals are superscript and placed outside the punctuation. Link the superscript to the footnote at the bottom of the page. Recent research from Duke University supported the original findings¹. When you are producing materials to be published by organizations outside Kaiser Permanente, such as a publishing house or a professional association (e.g., American Medical Association or American Psychological Association), be sure to follow the style guide preferred by that organization. Back to R region, Region region, Region Operational areas for Kaiser Permanente health plans and Permanente medical groups. The name Kaiser Permanente alone is sufficient for most communications needs. Attach the region name (e.g., Kaiser Permanente of Colorado) only when you need to distinguish between regions. Capitalize region when used as part of a particular Kaiser Permanente region's name. Lowercase when used generically. Hawaii Region, the region See the full list of Kaiser Permanente regional, health plan, and medical group information below. California Regions information Colorado Region information Georgia Region information Hawaii Region information Mid-Atlantic States Region information Northwest Region information Back to R regionwide regionwide No hyphen; always lowercase. Back to R registered dietitian (RD) registered dietitian (RD) Degreed medical professional specializing in food and nutrition who educates patients and administers medical nutrition therapy when prescribed by a physician. Back to R registered nurse (RN) registered nurse (RN) Graduate of an approved school of nursing who is licensed to practice by state authority. Registered nurses evaluate patients' conditions and prepare and implement treatment plans. Back to R represented, nonrepresented represented, nonrepresented Represented is acceptable when describing employees who are in a union. Only use when union affiliation is an important detail of the the story or message. Nonrepresented is acceptable in most communications when describing employees who are not represented by a union. Represented and nonrepresented workers enjoyed the picnic. However, consider recasting a sentence to provide clarity regarding union status. Employees who are not in the union were just as interested in the union president's speech as their represented colleagues. Do not use "unrepresented" to describe employees who are not in a union, except when it is required to be correct on a technical level, such as in union communications. respiratory care practitioner (RCP) respiratory care practitioner (RCP) Medical professional who, under the guidance of a physician, assesses, treats, and manages patients with breathing disorders. Back to R restrictive modifiers, nonrestrictive modifiers restrictive modifiers, nonrestrictive modifiers Restrictive modifiers, whether clause or phrase, limit or restrict the meaning of the nouns they apply to. When a restrictive modifier is removed from a sentence, the meaning is altered. Restrictive clauses usually start with that or who. Nonrestrictive modifiers provide additional information about the nouns they apply to. When a nonrestrictive modifier is removed from a sentence, the meaning is not altered. Nonrestrictive clauses start with which or who and are always set off by commas. restrictive: The drive-through window that is located on the south side of the building is open seven days a week. (or, the drive-through window located . . . ) The meaning of drive-through window is restricted to one particular location, implying there may be another drive-through window at a different location. nonrestrictive: The drive-through window, which is located on the south side of the building, is open seven days a week. The clause provides additional information about the drive-through window. The implication is that there is only one window. restrictive: All Kaiser Permanente members who qualify for this special program should contact Member Services. This sentence implies that only some members qualify. nonrestrictive: You will be scheduled to see the pulmonary specialist, who is qualified to treat your specific medical condition. The clause after the comma is nonessential and simply adds more information. Consult Words into Type, 3rd edition, for further guidance on restrictive and nonrestrictive modifiers and appositives. Back to R RICE RICE Acronym for rest, ice, compression, elevation. Used for management of soft-tissue stress or injury (sprains). Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to R room, Room room, Room Capitalize room when it appears with a number. The class will be held in Room 6. Back to R RSVP RSVP Abbreviation for the French phrase répondez s'il vous plaît, meaning "please reply." No periods. Right: Please respond by June 1, 2004. Wrong: Please RSVP (redundant) Back to R Rx Rx May be used instead of prescription when space is tight. Do not subscript. Rx, not R. Back to R S S safer sex SARS screen seasons selfsemiannual semicolon Senior Advantage service agreement service area service mark sickle cell disease sign in sign on (v.) signs and symbols (typographic) since single sign-on (n.) skilled nursing facility (SNF) skin care (n., adj.) slash smartphone smoking-cessation (adj.) smoking cessation (n.) Social Security, Social Security Administration, Social Security number spacing within copy blocks specialties staff-model HMO state state-of-the-art (adj.) STD (sexually transmitted disease) STI (sexually transmitted infection) subheads subscriber suffixes superlatives symbols system screen screen See page. safer sex safer sex Never safe sex. Back to S SARS SARS Severe, acute respiratory syndrome. Acronym OK on first reference. Back to S seasons seasons Lowercase, including derivatives such as springtime, unless part of a formal name. spring, summer, fall, winter, Winter Olympic Games Back to S selfselfAlways hyphenate. self-assured, self-care, self-government, self-defense Back to S semiannual semiannual Avoid using because readers may confuse semiannual (twice yearly) with biennial (every two years). Use twice yearly or two times a year. Back to S semicolon semicolon When items within a series of three or more include internal punctuation, use semicolons for clarity. Present were Thomas Jackson, a lawyer; Robert Smith, a director; Harold Abbott, a tax consultant; and John Trenton, a stockholder. Use a semicolon to connect two related sentences when they are not connected by and, or, but, or another conjunction. It was not the ideal time to be traveling; prices were escalating at an alarming rate. Back to S Senior Advantage Senior Advantage See Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage. Back to S service agreement service agreement Full contractual agreement between a health plan and an individual or group for the health plan to provide health care. May also be called a group agreement or membership agreement, depending on the region and product. Back to S service area service area Specific geographic area within which a health plan enrolls and serves members. Not customer service area. Avoid where possible in member and consumer communications. Back to S service mark service mark See trademarks/service marks, brand names. Back to S sickle cell disease sickle cell disease Not sickle cell anemia. No hyphen. Back to S sign in sign in See sign on. Back to S sign on (v.) sign on (v.) No hyphen. Sign on is preferred when referring to elements of kp.org where members need to enter a username and password to use features. Sign on to take advantage of our special features for members. Back to S signs and symbols (typographic) signs and symbols (typographic) Generally, do not use signs and symbols in text. If you must use a symbol in text, use the word and then the symbol in parentheses. Use the pound sign (#). Signs and symbols are acceptable in charts if you provide a key. See also brand names, copyright notice, percent, measurements (dimensions), trademarks, service marks. Back to S since since See because/since. Back to S single sign-on (n.) single sign-on (n.) Always use a hyphen with the noun. Single sign-on (SSO) enables you to access a computer system with one user ID and password. Sign on to our website. See sign on. Back to S skilled nursing facility (SNF) skilled nursing facility (SNF) State-licensed institution that provides round-the-clock skilled nursing care. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to S skin care (n., adj.) skin care (n., adj.) Two words, no hyphen. Back to S slash slash Also known as a stroke or virgule. Do not place a space on either side of a slash in body copy. A space may be added in display copy for aesthetic reasons. Back to S smartphone smartphone One word. A mobile phone with enhanced data capabilities, such as Internet connectivity and GPS (examples: iPhone, Blackberry). smoking-cessation (adj.) smoking-cessation (adj.) Smoking-cessation programs have been linked to lower rates of cancer. Back to S smoking cessation (n.) smoking cessation (n.) Smoking cessation is one of my new year's resolutions. Back to S Social Security, Social Security Administration, Social Security number Social Security, Social Security Administration, Social Security number Capitalize all references to the U.S. system. The Social Security Administration proposed a new system. Here is your Social Security card. Lowercase generic uses. Is there a social security program in Sweden? Back to S spacing within copy blocks spacing within copy blocks Use one space (not two) between sentences and after colons. Back to S specialties specialties Medical specialties (never specialities), such as podiatry and cardiology, are not capitalized unless they refer to a particular department. She studied psychiatry. He had an appointment with his dermatologist. The Urology Department at Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center Back to S staff-model HMO staff-model HMO HMO whose physicians are salaried employees of the HMO. See group-model HMO. Back to S state state Lowercase in all state of constructions. The state of California, the states of Maine and Vermont Lowercase when used simply as an adjective. Usually, state law imposes these restrictions. OK to use abbreviations (Calif., Ariz., etc.) accompanied by a city only when necessary for space considerations. Exception: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah are not abbreviated. Use approved U.S. Postal Service state abbreviations in mailing addresses. Note: Virginia is a commonwealth, not a state. The Commonwealth of Virginia. Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, in addition to Virginia, refer to themselves as "commonwealths." Officially, the U.S. government considers them states. When referring to them generically, there's no need to make the distinction. See also geographic terms. Back to S state-of-the-art (adj.) state-of-the-art (adj.), state of the art (noun) Restrictions on use of this term vary by region. Regardless, use of this term is discouraged from a brand perspective because it has little meaning for the reader. Use hyphens for the adjective and no hyphens for the noun. Our state-of-the-art electronic medical record is being rolled out region by region. Our new facility is state of the art. Back to S STD (sexually transmitted disease) STD (sexually transmitted disease) STD is not a preferred term. The Kaiser Permanente preferred term is STI or sexually transmitted infection. See STI or sexually transmitted infection. STI (sexually transmitted infection) STI (sexually transmitted infection) STI or sexually transmitted infection is the Kaiser Permanente preferred term instead of STD or sexually transmitted disease. The rationale for the difference is STI stands for "sexually transmitted infection" and it is more accurate than "disease" since many infections can be transmitted without any symptoms or obvious disease. Technically, "disease" implies that there would be symptoms or you would somehow be "sick" if you had a disease. One could have an STI with or without symptoms, so it would always be correct to use this term. See STD (sexually transmitted disease). subheads subheads See headlines. Back to S subscriber subscriber For individual and family coverage, the subscriber is the primary account holder for a family account. For employer group coverage, the subscriber is the covered employee. suffixes suffixes See -wide. Use suffixes only if immediately recognizable (e.g., MD, PhD, RN, MPH). Note: Many people are not familiar with suffixes for academic titles. Back to S superlatives superlatives Avoid terms such as best, highest quality, and finest to describe Kaiser Permanente's offerings, as they are difficult to substantiate, may create liability, and may not meet state or federal regulations. See also modifiers, absolutes. Back to S symbols symbols See signs and symbols. Back to S system system Do not use when describing Kaiser Permanente. Back to S T T tai chi telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) telehealth, telemedicine telephone numbers telepresence, TelePresence television (TV) temperature tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) The Permanente Company, LLC The Permanente Federation, LLC Thrive tie-line time time zones titles titles, academic titles, classes titles, jobs titles, programs titles, works and publications toll-free, toll free total health Total Health Assessment touch-tone phone toward trademarks, service marks Traditional Plan TTY tai chi tai chi A series of simple, flowing movements, often combined with meditation. The movements are designed to reduce stress, circulate the energy of the body, promote healing, and improve balance. Tai chi movements can be performed either very slowly or quickly. Other spellings and transliterations of the original Chinese characters can be found. Use tai chi in Kaiser Permanente materials. Lowercase. No initial caps. See also qi gong. Back to T telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) Although this term is still prevalent, TTY is preferred. See TTY. Back to T telehealth, telemedicine telehealth, telemedicine Not tele-medicine or tele-health. Delivering care and monitoring patient status via remote devices that feed data into a care management system. Back to T telephone numbers telephone numbers See phone numbers. Back to T telepresence, TelePresence telepresence, TelePresence A high definition, immersive videoconference technology. It allows a more personalized video conference experience for smaller meeting settings. Participants generally attend from specially configured telepresence rooms. Lowercase when used generically. Some of our facilities are equipped with telepresence technology. When referring to the Cisco technology, capitalize both the T and P. The meeting room is equipped with Cisco TelePresence. television (TV) television (TV) Acceptable to use acronym in all references. No periods. Back to T temperature temperature Use degrees in running text. Not necessary to add Fahrenheit, but acceptable to do so. A temperature of 101 degrees; a 101-degree fever. Use degree symbol (101º) in charts. Use degree symbol and F in health education materials. A temperature of 101ºF. Back to T tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis See diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP and Tdap) vaccines. The Permanente Company, LLC The Permanente Company, LLC As of December 31, 2009, The Permanente Company, LLC has been merged into The Permanente Federation, LLC. Back to T The Permanente Federation, LLC The Permanente Federation, LLC Always include The and capitalize the T when using the full name The Permanente Federation. OK to shorten to the Federation (lowercase t ) in subsequent mentions. Group partnership, formed on January 6, 1997, to represent the national interests of the Permanente Medical Groups. Entrusted with carefully proscribed, national decision-making authority for the regional Permanente Medical Groups. On behalf of the Permanente Medical Groups, serves as the national partner with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., on Programwide initiatives. See also The Permanente Federation intranet website. Back to T Thrive Thrive Uppercase when referencing the advertising campaign and lowercase for other uses. Back to T tie-line tie-line Hyphenated, lowercase. Back to T time time Lowercase a.m. and p.m., and use periods. If space is at a premium in a directory or chart, the periods may be omitted. Do not spell out times such as half-past or quarter-past. Right: The meeting began at 4:30 p.m. Wrong: The meeting began at half-past four. In text: Times on the hour do not need :00. He arrived for his interview at 9 a.m. (Not 9:00 a.m.) Always use one regular space between the number and a.m. or p.m. If the range of hours indicated is all a.m. or all p.m., do not repeat the a.m. or p.m. 9 to 11:30 a.m. (Not 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.) In Web copy, when signifying a range of time within text do not use a hyphen. Instead use to. Flu shots will be available at these times: • Monday, May 18, 9 to 11 a.m. • Tuesday, May 19, 10 a.m. to noon • Wednesday, May 20, 2 to 4 p.m. In print, it is preferable to use to, but an en dash may be used for space considerations. 9-11 a.m. Use noon and midnight (not 12 p.m. and 12 a.m.), but not 12 noon or 12 midnight. When referring to services available every day, around the clock: Right: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Wrong: 24/7; 24-hours-a-day Back to T time zones time zones Spell out time zone names (see the chart below) on first reference, followed by the acronym in parentheses (if it will used for subsequent references). Use the acronym alone for subsequent references. Do not use periods in the acronym. Lowercase "time." Do not refer to standard or daylight time (PST, PDT). California Pacific time (PT) Colorado Mountain time (MT) District of Columbia Eastern time (ET) Georgia Eastern time (ET) Hawaii Hawaii time (HT) Maryland Eastern time (ET) Ohio Eastern time (ET) Oregon Pacific time (PT) Virginia Eastern time (ET) Washington state Pacific time (PT) Use the time zone of the region where a specific communication will be used. In national communications or those that will be used in multiple KP regions that are in different time zones, use Pacific time. Exception: In communications to Hawaii members, use Pacific time for numbers that are based on the mainland. (Hawaii does not observe daylight saving time, so those hours would be incorrect for Hawaii readers for half the year). For local Hawaii numbers, use Hawaii time. titles titles Please see titles, academic; titles, classes; titles, jobs; titles, programs; titles, works and publications Back to T titles, academic titles, academic Do not use periods in abbreviations for academic and professional degrees and titles. MD, PhD, PharmD (not M.D., Ph.D., Pharm.D.) Do not precede a name with a courtesy title for an academic degree and then follow the name with the degree's abbreviation. Dr. Pam Jones or Pam Jones, MD (not Dr. Pam Jones, MD) In text, use a person's full name followed by his or her degree in the first reference. In subsequent mentions, the courtesy title goes in front of the last name. Use of the name in a headline counts as first reference. First reference: Anthony Radcliffe, MD Subsequent references: Dr. Radcliffe In informal internal communications, even persons with doctoral degrees may be referred to by their first name on subsequent references. First reference: Artie Southam, MD Subsequent references: Artie An OD, RN, MD, etc., is a degree, not a person. Degree abbreviations should only be used following a person's name. Right: Judy Jones is an optometrist. The nurse checked his blood pressure. Wrong: Judy Jones is an OD. The RN checked his blood pressure. Lowercase types of academic degrees and use an apostrophe. Lowercase the field in which the degree was received, unless it is a proper noun such as English. doctorate, bachelor's, master's degree; bachelor's in business administration, master's in English; bachelor of arts, master of science It is often not practical to include all degrees or certifications a person holds, so it is important to consider the context of your communication. In general, do not include bachelor's degrees. Include master's and/or doctorate degrees and professional certifications as relevant to the content of the communication. If a person holds both a master's and doctorate in the same field, it is not necessary to include the master's degree. When a person with a degree of any type is cited as a subject expert, also cite his or her field of expertise for clarity's sake. Barry Jacobson, PhD, a mental health counselor at Beaverton Medical Office Carol Smith, PT, a physical therapist at Rockville Medical Center see also academic degrees; titles, classes; titles, jobs; titles, programs; titles, works and publications Back to T titles, classes titles, classes Capitalize the titles of classes and set off with quotation marks in copy. The "Asthma Management" class will be offered twice a month. see also titles, academic; academic degrees; titles, jobs; titles, programs; titles, works and publications Back to T titles, jobs titles, jobs Titles following an individual's name are never capitalized, even for royalty. Bruce Taylor, executive manager Dave Briar, director, Product Development Elizabeth II, queen Titles are capitalized only when they directly precede an individual's name. Professor John Dearlove Executive Manager Bruce Taylor Medical Director Barbara J. Rosenberg, MD Cap when preceding a name, lowercase when following. Director of Employee Satisfaction Sherry Perry Sherry Perry, director of Employee Satisfaction Elizabeth II, queen Lowercase and spell out titles when set off from name with commas. Hawaii Permanente Medical Group's president and executive medical director, Geoffery Sewell, MD, is visiting the Honolulu Clinic today. Lowercase occupational descriptions. Dr. Jones and physical therapist Stacy Kline spent several hours with the patient's family. Do not mix capitalization styles within a communication. Capitalization of job titles is acceptable in signature blocks, addresses, invitations, labels, business cards, and other situations in which the title stands alone or separate from the person's name. Bruce Taylor Executive Manager Sales and Marketing Use sentence case for group or team titles in tables. See also academic degrees; titles, academic Back to T titles, programs titles, programs For formal titles, use initial caps for all words except coordinating conjunctions, articles, and prepositions (unless they are the first or last word in a title). Program titles are set in roman, not italic (Chemical Dependency Recovery Program). See also academic degrees; titles, academic; titles, classes; titles, jobs; titles, works and publications Back to T titles, works and publications titles, works and publications Print style Initial cap principal words in a title, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Capitalize an article or word of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title. Note: As of March 2012, the following print style is an intentional deviation from the new AP style. Initial cap, no other treatment brochures (unbound, folded documents, usually eight pages or fewer) Summary of Benefits and Coverage, Emergency and Urgent Care Information forms (Short documents, usually fillable by the user. Initial cap the word Form only if it is part of the actual title.) Claim for Emergency Services, Enrollment/Change Form, Authorization for Use and/or Disclosure of Member/Patient Health Information websites WebMD, Google, Amazon See also Web address, website. (Note: kp.org and other Kaiser Permanente websites are exceptions to this rule. See kaiserpermanente.org, kp.org.) Italics books and booklets (bound documents, usually longer than eight pages) Your Guidebook to Kaiser Permanente Services, Disclosure Form, Evidence of Coverage, Certificate of Insurance, Member Handbook, Summary Plan Description newspapers The Denver Post newsletters and magazines Health Care Perspectives, Partners in Health, Elevate, Newsweek plays The Amazing Food Detective TV shows CBS News videos, films, DVDs, CDs, podcasts In the Kitchen with Carole Quotation marks chapter titles Refer to Chapter 2, "Colons and Semicolons." section titles See "Using Your Benefits" in Your Plan Coverage. magazine articles A Newsweek article titled "Ranking Your HMO" newspaper articles "Health Plans in 38 States Sue Tobacco Firms" magazine special issues "Most Innovative Companies" issue Note that there is no comma after the word "titled" (A Newsweek article titled "Ranking Your HMO"). Use initial caps for all words except coordinating conjunctions, articles, and prepositions (unless they are the first or last word in a title). See also titles, academic; titles, classes; titles, jobs; titles, programs Web style Titles of works and publications are treated differently on the Web than they are in printed media. Italics are very difficult to read online and do not always render as intended. Accordingly, we do not use italics online for emphasis or for titles. For all titles Initial cap principal words in a title, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Capitalize an article or word of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last work in a title. Printed media No italics or quotation marks for the following: Books, booklets, and brochures Summary of Benefits and Coverage, Your Guidebook to Kaiser Permanente Services, Disclosure Form, Evidence of Coverage, Certificate of Insurance, Member Handbook, Summary Plan Description, Moby-Dick, Great Expectations, Emergency and Urgent Care Information Newspapers The Denver Post, USA Today. (Newspapers without “The” in the masthead take l.c. “the,” e.g., the Los Angeles Times) Newsletters and magazines Partners in Health, The Week, Health Care Perspectives, Sports Illustrated Use quotation marks for the following: Chapter titles Refer to Chapter 2, "Colons and Semicolons." Section titles See "Using Your Benefits" in Your Plan Coverage. Magazine articles A Newsweek article titled "Ranking Your HMO" Newspaper articles "Health Plans in 38 States Sue Tobacco Firms" Magazine special issues "Most Innovative Companies" issue Online media No italics or quotation marks for the following: Websites Facebook, Twitter, kaiserpermanente.org, StudentNet Blogs Talking Points Memo, Big Journalism, Come on Feel the Nuys (but titles of individual blog posts should be in quotation marks, unless the posts are titled with dates only) Software (including games) Windows XP, Internet Explorer 9.0, iOS 5, PhotoShop, Adobe Acrobat, World of Warcraft Use quotation marks for the following: Podcasts “In the Kitchen with Carole,” “The Adam Carolla Show,” “To the Point,” “Mobtown Ska Sounds,” “The Naked Scientists Radio Show,” “The Nutrition Diva,” “Savage Love” “Active” media Use quotation marks for the following: Plays, films, videos, DVDs, CDs, songs “Wit,” “Mourning Becomes Electra,” “Star Wars,” “Dorf on Golf,” “A Different Kind of Truth” by Van Halen, “Hey Jude” toll-free, toll free toll-free, toll free Hyphenate when used as an adjective; leave open when used as an adverb. You may call our toll-free Member Services number.You may call us toll free. See also phone numbers. Back to T total health total health Total health is Kaiser Permanente's philosophy and approach to care that considers all aspects of a person's state of being — body, mind, and spirit. It also describes the state of health and well-being nonmembers experience through Kaiser Permanente’s involvement in and contributions to local communities and around the world. Lowercase both words when used generically. At Kaiser Permanente, we believe in total health. Initial cap both words only when part of a formal name of a program or class, or when an initiative/strategy has been informally given the title of a "Total Health" initiative. Don't forget to pick up your complimentary Total Health grab bag at the health fair. Total Health Assessment Total Health Assessment Initial cap. Total Health Assessment but not THA. Kaiser Permanente has made an agreement with Wellness & Prevention, Inc. to have the product formally named Total Health Assessment. No trademark or registration symbol should be applied. Do not include HealthMedia when using this name. See also HealthMedia® Back to T touch-tone phone touch-tone phone Lowercase. Back to T toward toward Not towards. Back to T trademarks, service marks trademarks, service marks A trademark is used to identify a particular source of products. For example, Macintosh is a trademark used to identify certain personal computers made and sold by Apple Computers, Inc. The symbol TM signifies a trademark. A service mark is used to identify a source of services. For example, Federal Express and FedEx are service marks used to identify the package delivery services provided by Federal Express Corporation. The symbol SM signifies a service mark. The ® symbol indicates a trademark or service mark that has been registered with the federal government's U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). For example, the name Kaiser Permanente is a service mark used to identify the prepaid medical services provided by our organization. It has been registered with the USPTO. When a trademark or service is registered only with a state agency, not the USPTO, or when it is not registered at all, then the symbol TM or SM is used. When a mark is registered with both the USPTO and a state agency, the federal registration takes precedence and the symbol ® is used. A registration symbol should always be superscript. It should not be separated from the affected term by punctuation. Usage: Use trademark or service mark symbols with registered Kaiser Permanente names only in titles, headlines, or the first reference in body copy. Individual listings in this style guide indicate Kaiser Permanente trademarks. The ® symbol should always appear as part of the Kaiser Permanente signature (logo). Trademark and service mark symbols are not required with non--Kaiser Permanente brand names unless required in contractual agreements with specific companies. Please see individual product name entries for guidance. See also brand names. Back to T Traditional Plan Traditional Plan Former name of Kaiser Permanente's HMO plan (in some regions). Do not use. In absence of an actual plan name, it is acceptable to use as a lowercase general term, including HMO as descriptor. With our traditional HMO plan, you do not have a deductible. Back to T TTY TTY Originally "teletypewriter," these three initials now stand for any device with a keyboard, display, and coupler or modem that allows a person with a hearing or speech impairment to communicate via telephone. Both parties must have a TTY to communicate, unless the call is placed through a TTY relay center. The Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) provides a bridge between people who communicate by voice only and those who communicate by TTY (with or without a voice component). TRS is designed to allow real-time conversation by providing third-party assistance at no cost to the users. A trained communication assistant speaks the words typed by a TTY user and types the words spoken by a voice telephone user. The national 711 number gives toll-free access to TRS from anywhere in the United States. Use the 711 TRS number if the location does not have its own TTY equipment and phone number. Refer readers to TTY services as follows. The descriptor helps to prevent people who are not familiar with TTY from trying to use the TTY number. Call 1-800-555-1212 or 1-800-555-1234 (TTY for the deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired) Call 1-800-555-1212 or 711 (TTY for the hearing/speech impaired) Note: Although the preferred term is hard of hearing, not hearing impaired, in situations where space is limited hearing/speech impaired may be used. Back to T U U U.S. ultraviolet (UV) underline under way (adv.), underway (adj.) unit-based team universities and schools up-to-date (adv., adj.) URAC urgent care URL user ID underline underline (Web style) Because underlined text in Web copy can be confused with hyperlinks, do not underline text that is not a link. Never underline for emphasis. ultraviolet (UV) ultraviolet (UV) Spell out "ultraviolet" with first reference. Then use UV, UVA, UVB, or UVC, as appropriate. Ultraviolet rays are divided into three types: UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVA rays are often associated with premature aging of the skin. UVB rays cause redness and sunburn and are thought to be the cause of skin cancer. UVC rays are screened out by the ozone layer of the atmosphere and do not reach the Earth. Back to U under way (adv.), underway (adj.) under way (adv.), underway (adj.) Two words unless used as an adjective in a naval setting. The project is under way. The flotilla of warships is underway. Back to U unit-based team unit-based team Lowercase; use hyphen Unit-based teams are natural, local work groups consisting of workers, physicians, and managers, who work collaboratively to solve problems, improve performance, and enhance quality for tangible results. Back to U universities and schools universities and schools Use a comma before the location. Initials are acceptable on second reference. University of California, Berkeley (UCB) University of Wisconsin, Whitewater Back to U up-to-date (adv., adj.) up-to-date (adv., adj.) Hyphenate whether used as an adjective or an adverb. Keep me up-to-date on your condition. She's wearing an up-to-date style. Back to U URAC URAC URAC is the correct abbreviation for American Accreditation HealthCare Commission, a nonprofit, private organization that thoroughly evaluates online health content using more than 50 standards, from content quality to privacy and security policies, in a rigorous accreditation process. URAC was originally an acronym for Utilization Review Accreditation Commission, a name that is no longer used. Back to U urgent care urgent care The definition of what constitutes urgent care may vary from one Kaiser Permanente region to another; therefore, be sure you are defining the term correctly for your particular audience. Do not hyphenate when used as an adjective. urgent care services, not urgent-care services See also emergency. Back to U URL URL See Web address. Back to U U.S. U.S. Use as an adjective only. Spell out as a noun. U.S. domestic policy inflation indicators in the United States Back to U user ID user ID Use this term instead of user name when describing how members sign on to kp.org. V V vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) versus Veterans Administration vice president, vice chair video conference Visa visiting member Visiting Member Program vitamins voice mail vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) Spell out first reference; acronym OK in subsequent references. Back to V versus versus Spell out in text; abbreviate to vs. in headlines only when space is tight. If the abbreviation is used in a Web headline, be sure to spell out as versus in the alt tag. Use v. when citing court cases (Smith v. Jones). Back to V Veterans Administration Veterans Administration See Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Back to V vice president, vice chair vice president, vice chair No hyphen. Back to V video conference video conference A legacy generic term describing video conferencing systems that are room based. Participants attend in a video conference room within the video conference network. This is not a mobile technology. Visa Visa Visa no longer requires the use of a registration mark with its name. Back to V visiting member visiting member Lowercase. Back to V Visiting Member Program Visiting Member Program Provides up to 90 days of coverage to Kaiser Permanente members who are temporarily visiting another Kaiser Permanente or Group Health Cooperative service area other than their home service area. Back to V vitamins vitamins Lowercase the word vitamin, but use a capital letter for the type of vitamin. I take my vitamins every day. A good source of vitamin A is dark-green vegetables. Back to V voice mail voice mail Two words. Back to V W W Wal-Mart Washington, D.C. Web Web address, website webcast Web conference webinar Web manager well baby (n.), well-baby (adj.) well-being (n.) well child (n.), well-child (adj.) well-woman (adj.) which, that white who, whom -wide wiki workday workers' compensation workforce workplace worksite workstation World Health Organization (WHO) Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Wal-Mart employees are called Associates. Always initial capped. Back to W Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Use a comma and periods on first reference. Can be abbreviated to D.C. on subsequent references. He moved to Washington, D.C. Two commas are required for compound sentences. He moved to Washington, D.C., and now works for a new company. When referring to the postal code in an address, periods are not used. Send your form to: Kaiser Permanente 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC 10012 See also District of Columbia Back to W Web Web A collection of graphical pages on the Internet that can be read and interacted with by a computer. Also called World Wide Web. Capitalize, except when used as part of the word website. See also Internet, Web address, website. Back to W Web address, website Web address, website Capitalize Web, except when it is used as part of the word website. Lowercase the w in website, which is one word. Web addresses, also known as URLs, should not be italicized or underlined in running text. In print, Web addresses can be bolded or colorized for readability, if desired. On the Web, URLs should not appear in running text; instead, make the website title a link to the site itself. Try to keep Web addresses on one line of copy. If a Web address must be broken, do so after a slash and without the use of hyphens. For more information, check out our website at kp.org/newsroom/releases/this_month/index.shtml. If a Web address ends a sentence in text, punctuate the sentence normally but do not apply any type treatment used in the Web address, such as bolding, to the punctuation. Recast the sentence if you're concerned that readers might assume the punctuation is a part of the address. For Kaiser Permanente Web addresses: Do not use http:// or www. in Kaiser Permanente Web addresses. Kaiser Permanente Web addresses are generally lowercase and should always include the domain (.org). (Note: This is an exception to the rule about styling Web addresses as title case.) It is acceptable to use kp.org instead of kaiserpermanente.org as long as it would be clear to the reader what the kp stands for. That is, as long as our logo or full company name is somewhere near kp.org. For shortcut URLs, lowercase is preferred. kp.org/thrive Kaiser Permanente Web addresses always end in .org, which designates nonprofit status, never .com or .net. For external Web addresses: Do not use http://_ _in a Web address unless the address does not begin with www. Do not remove www. from a Web address without confirming that the address will work without it. For website titles, capitalize the first letter of every word, except coordinating conjunctions, articles, and prepositions (unless they are the first or last word in a title). For well-known brands, unusual capitalization is acceptable if it increases recognition and readability (e.g., WebMD, eBay). If the website title is recognizable without the domain (.com, .org, etc.), do not include it. People search for information on Google. Are you on Facebook? But if it would otherwise be unclear that you're referring to the website, include it. I looked it up on MayoClinic.com. Go to WellsFargo.com for more information. As always, consider your audience. If readers are likely to be unfamiliar with the Internet or uncomfortable with domain names, feel free to explain using the words website or online version. I found it on the Mayo Clinic website. The article came from the online version of Newsweek. References to English Web content/URLs in Spanish copy: In Spanish materials, if you reference a URL that links to English-only content, add a clarifying note that the content is in English: Consulte recetas saludables en kp.org/farmersmarketrecipes (en inglés). See also Web. Back to W webcast webcast An online broadcast. It usually consists of a media file that uses streaming to distribute a single content source to many users. For example, an online broadcast of a meeting or lecture. Lowercase the w in webcast. webinar webinar An online seminar. It usually involves slide presentations, audio, and visual files. Can be one-way or may involve polling or Q&A sessions with attendees. For example, an online seminar about health care reform. Lowercase the w in webinar. Web conference Web conference A virtual meeting technology that allows collaboration, application and desktop sharing, and peer-to-peer video sharing, on demand, to both desktop systems and mobile devices through standard Internet connections. Perhaps the most well known of these products is WebEx by Cisco. Web manager Web manager The Web manager maintains the content of the kaiserpermanente.org website. Users email website feedback and correspondence to the Web manager, who then triages the inquiry to the most appropriate person to respond. Two words. Always capitalize W and lowercase m. well baby (n.), well-baby (adj.) well baby (n.), well-baby (adj.) Hyphenate when used as an adjective preceding a noun. Back to W well-being (n.) well-being (n.) Always hyphenated. Back to W well child (n.), well-child (adj.) well child (n.), well-child (adj.) Hyphenate when used as an adjective preceding a noun. Back to W well-woman (adj.) well-woman (adj.) Hyphenate when used as an adjective preceding a noun. Well-woman visits are covered. Back to W which, that which, that See restrictive modifiers, nonrestrictive modifiers. Back to W white white Preferred term over Caucasian when identifying ethnicity generally . Right: Both black and white staff and physicians attended the workshop. Wrong: Only Caucasian men attended the workshop. See also Caucasian who, whom who, whom Who is generally the subject of the sentence, clause, or phrase. The woman who rented the room left the window open. Whom is generally the object of a verb or preposition. The woman to whom the room was rented left the window open. However, when whom does not directly follow a preposition, it is acceptable to use who, especially if whom sounds stilted. Who should I call? not Whom should I call? Back to W -wide -wide Do not hyphenate unless long and cumbersome. citywide, nationwide, Programwide, regionwide, statewide, countywide, worldwide If long and cumbersome, hyphenate if used as an adjective before a noun; do not hyphenate if used after a noun. industry-wide trend; The change is happening industry wide; university-wide canvass; The canvass was university wide. Back to W wiki wiki A collaborative website that allows users to comment on or make changes to the content. Do not capitalize wiki, unless it is part of a proper name. Lowercase when referring to the Kaiser Permanente Editorial Style Guide wiki. Back to W workday workday One word. Back to W workers' compensation workers' compensation State-governed, no-fault program, paid for by employers, that provides compensation for work-related injuries and illnesses. Benefits may include medical treatment, temporary disability indemnity, vocational rehabilitation, permanent disability indemnity, and death benefits, depending on the state. Note the apostrophe after s. Not workmens' compensation. Back to W workforce workforce One word. Back to W workplace workplace One word. Back to W worksite worksite One word. Back to W workstation workstation One word. Back to W World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Organization (WHO) Specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes technical cooperation for health among nations and carries out programs to control and eradicate disease on an international basis. Spell out first reference; acronym OK for subsequent references. Back to W XYZ XYZ X-ray (n., v., adj.) yoga ZIP code X-ray (n., v., adj.) X-ray (n., v., adj.) Capitalize and hyphenate. Back to X,Y,Z yoga yoga There are a number of different types of yoga. In Kaiser Permanente materials, the term refers to low-impact yoga that helps to regulate breathing with exercises consisting of postures and stretches intended to sustain healthy bodily functioning and induce emotional calmness. Lowercase. See also hatha yoga Back to X Y Z ZIP code ZIP code Use all caps for ZIP, but always lowercase code. One space (and no comma) between the state and the ZIP code. Atlanta, GA 30305 Use ZIP+four numbers only for business reply mail and return envelopes. Back to X,Y,Z KP Regions, Health Plans, and Medical Groups KP Regions, Health Plans, and Medical Groups California Regions Colorado Region Georgia Region Hawaii Region Mid-Atlantic States Region Northwest Region Affiliate health plans and strategic alliances California Regions California Regions Preferred use of health plan names Kaiser Permanente in California Kaiser Permanente Northern California Kaiser Permanente Southern California Abbreviations for internal communications only KP KPNC KPSC Legal names Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Areas of service for commercial plans Northern California: San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Stockton, Fresno, and Modesto Southern California: Major metropolitan areas from Bakersfield to San Diego Medical groups Southern California Permanente Medical Group The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. (always capitalize The) Preferred Member Services name Member Service Contact Center (no s at end of Service) Colorado Region Colorado Region Preferred use of health plan name Kaiser Permanente Colorado Legal name Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado Areas of service for commercial plans Denver, Boulder, Longmont, Colorado Springs and Pueblo Medical group Colorado Permanente Medical Group, P.C. Preferred Member Services name Member Services Georgia Region Georgia Region Preferred use of health plan name Kaiser Permanente Georgia Legal name Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc. Area of service for commercial plans Metropolitan Atlanta Medical group The Southeast Permanente Medical Group, Inc. (always capitalize The) Preferred Member Services name Member Services Hawaii Region Hawaii Region Preferred use of health plan name Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Legal name Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Areas of service for commercial plans Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Kauai, Lanai, and Molokai Medical group Hawaii Permanente Medical Group, Inc. Preferred Member Services name Customer Service Center Mid-Atlantic States Region Mid-Atlantic States Region Preferred use of health plan name Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States Legal name Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc. Areas of service for commercial plans Northern Virginia, metropolitan Washington, D.C., and metropolitan Baltimore Medical group Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C. Preferred Member Services name Member Services Northwest Region Northwest Region Preferred use of health plan name Kaiser Permanente Northwest Legal names Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest Kaiser Permanente Health Alternatives Areas of service for commercial plans Oregon: Metropolitan Portland area and Salem Washington: Vancouver and Longview-Kelso Medical group Northwest Permanente, P.C., Physicians and Surgeons Dental group Permanente Dental Associates Subsidiaries and affiliates Affiliation with Group Health Cooperative Preferred Member Services name Membership Services Ohio Region, now HealthSpan Integrated Care Ohio Region The Ohio Region, also known as Kaiser Permanente of Ohio, no longer exists. Health plan Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Ohio was acquired by HealthSpan Partners in late 2013 and now operates under the name HealthSpan Integrated Care. Medical group Ohio Permanente Medical Group, Inc. now operates under the name HealthSpan Physicians, LLC. HealthSpan Physicians entered into an affiliate membership agreement with The Permanente Federation on October 1, 2013. As an affiliate member, HealthSpan Physicians has access to the Care Management Institute (CMI) and the Federation’s Quality and Physician Leadership services. This includes access to CMI’s Clinical Library and committee meetings. It also includes participation in: National Quality Conference Associate Medical Director (AMD) for Quality meetings Interregional Chief Group meetings. Permanente Executive Leadership Summit (PELS) Medicine and Management (M&M) select Executive Medical Director meetings other mutually agreed upon meetings Affiliate health plans and strategic alliances Affiliate health plans and strategic alliances Group Health Cooperative Preferred use of health plan name Group Health Cooperative Legal name Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound Areas of service for commercial plans Major metropolitan areas of Washington state, excluding Southwest Washington, but including Seattle and Spokane. Also, selected counties in North Idaho. Medical group Group Health Permanente Subsidiaries and affiliates Group Health/Kaiser Permanente Community Foundation; Options Health Care, Inc.; Virginia Mason Group Health Alliance, Inc. HealthSpan Partners Preferred use of health plan name HealthSpan Legal name HealthSpan Integrated Care Areas of service for commercial plans Ohio: Metropolitan Cleveland and Akron areas. Medical group HealthSpan Physicians, LLC Copyediting Marks Copyediting Marks Preferred Reference Tools Preferred Reference Tools Style manuals For answers to style questions not covered in the Kaiser Permanente Editorial Style Guide, consult The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (New York: The Associated Press, 2012). For style questions not answered by The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, including note and bibliographical forms, consult the 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010). Dictionary Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition (Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2004). Also available online at m-w.com. Medical dictionaries Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 30th edition (Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co., 2003). Also available in CD-ROM format as Dorland's Electronic Medical Dictionary, 29th Edition. Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 19th edition (Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company, 2001). Access to the online version is available through the National Clinical Library at cl.kp.org. Grammar and usage guide For superior, comprehensive help with grammar, punctuation, and usage, consult Words into Type, 3rd edition (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1974).