Good question! According to AAMT BOS, sm
Posted By: CL on 2006-01-03
In Reply to: Cranial nerves - Lee
Subject: Good question! According to AAMT BOS, sm
cranial nerves are now either expressed in Roman numerals or arabic numbers, whichever the client or employer dictates. For the ordinals you mentioned, BOS spells them out using these examples: 12th cranial nerve or twelfth cranial nerve.
Reference: BOS, page 112
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The AAMT BOS is a good place to start, sm
Subject: The AAMT BOS is a good place to start, sm
though it's time consuming to look things up in there but it does have a lot of information in it. (Get the 2nd edition--1st is pretty much obsolete). I'm sure others will come up with some good leads for you, too.
NWMNMT:Good grief, good grief, good grief..If this is the case, the doctor should also explain
Subject: NWMNMT:Good grief, good grief, good grief..If this is the case, the doctor should also explain
the meaning in an ADDENDUM.
How do you know what the doctor meant? GOOD GRIEF, are you the know-it-all (hyphens must be put here, as it is used as a noun!) on this board? Get over yourself!
Who understands what it means without an explanation?
The MOST obvious is apparently like I understood it:
5 packs in 1 year.
Maybe the doctor really meant this, 5 packs per year, so essentially a nonsmoker.
GOOD GRIEF, get over yourself!
Glad to help. You give good me a good S/L and info. nm
Subject: Glad to help. You give good me a good S/L and info. nm
Glad to help. You give good such good S/L and info. nm
Subject: Glad to help. You give good such good S/L and info. nm
Good save, Hay! I never heard of this. Have a good one! nm
Subject: Good save, Hay! I never heard of this. Have a good one! nm
s
may I just add something about AAMT...sm
Subject: may I just add something about AAMT...sm
While I used to respect the AAMT, the AAMT is not the end-all, be-all, and, in fact, prior to the late 1990s, their book was 80 pages long....
just my 2 cents....
According to AAMT and ..
Subject: According to AAMT and ..
the Pharmicist's association, q.d. is on the "dangerous abbreviations" list. So if you did shorten it to the abbreviation, it can only be "1 daily" or "1 every day"
And where did the AAMT
Subject: And where did the AAMT
get this information?
AAMT
Subject: AAMT
In my most humble opinion, I would think the AAMT BOS rules are set by AAMT, as Joint Commision accredits hospitals. Some of the style guides that my account uses are actually requirements by Joint Commission, but not those specifically required by the BOS. Anyone else have an opinion? 
I mean q.6h. (per AAMT)
Subject: I mean q.6h. (per AAMT)
nm
AAMT BOS
Subject: AAMT BOS
"I wrote him a prescription for 38 Tylox." Am I supposed to type #38 or not? 
Per AAMT
Subject: Per AAMT
Abbreviate units of measure, even if dictated in full, if they are accompanied by a numeral.
I would assume in your case since it is not accompanied by a number and has the word of between the two, then I would spell it out.
# according to AAMT
Subject: # according to AAMT
I type for a hospital so # are not written out. I only have the first AAMT book. In the new book, is it now standard to not write out #. I am QAing a clinic where they told me to use my own judgement as half MT are writing them out and the other half are not. What is new standard rule?
AAMT BOS
Subject: AAMT BOS
Use only with numerals. Use a lowercase x in expressions of area and volume, as a multiplication symbol, and when it takes the place of the word times.
A capital X is generally used to express magnification.
X30 magnification
x meaning by (dimensions)
Use a lowercase x to express by in dimensions.
Space before and after the x.
13 x 2 cm
x meaning for
When the word "times" is dictated and can be translated as for, it should be transcribed as for rather than using times or x.
D: The patient was given antibiotics to take times 2 weeks.
T: The patient was given antibiotics to take for 2 weeks.
x meaning times
When the word "times" is dictated and means the number of times a thing was done, the letter x can be used.
To keep this expression together and easily read as a unit, do not place a space after the x.
D: Blood cultures were negative times 3.
T: Blood cultures were negative x3.
Use the symbol x meaning times only when the x precedes a numeral.
D: Demerol was administered 3 times.
T: Demerol was administered 3 times. not ...3x.
Yes, BOS is from AAMT, but
Subject: Yes, BOS is from AAMT, but
what they base their decisions on I'll never know.
A new BOS is being written, and the new writers have some much better credentials than the former writers, so hopefully the new one will make actual sense. One can only hope.
it is CT per AAMT
Subject: it is CT per AAMT
x
AAMT BOS
Subject: AAMT BOS
affect, effect
These terms often sound alike when dictated, but their usage and meanings are not interchangeable. Affect is usually a verb, and effect is usually a noun. In medicine either of these terms may be a verb or noun, with a multitude of meanings, and their differences in usage and meaning should be learned.
affect
As a verb, affect (pronounced af-féct) means to influence or change.
She suffers from a neuropathy affecting her upper extremities.
The warm encouragement of the patient's wife positively affected his outcome.
As a noun, affect (pronounced áf-fect) means an expressed or observed emotion or feeling.
The patient displayed a flat affect.
Her affect did not change throughout the course of the interview.
effect
As a verb, effect means to bring about or cause to happen.
We plan to effect a decrease in the size of the tumor using adjunctive therapy.
The medication effected relief.
As a noun, effect means result.
The effect of the treatment was pronounced.
A mass effect was seen on x-ray.
Copyright (c) 2002 American Association for Medical
Transcription
It is confusing! I have been doing this for years and still have to stop and think at times. Good luck to you! You are getting into a great field of work! Hope you can get with a good company!
x3 per AAMT
Subject: x3 per AAMT
According to AAMT BOS use
Subject: According to AAMT BOS use
arabic numerals (not roman numerals) in this case.
See AAMT-BOS (sm)
Subject: See AAMT-BOS (sm)
Gleason tumor grade
Also known as Gleason score. The system scores or grades the prognosis for adenocarcinoma of the prostate, with a scale of 1 through 5 for each dominant and secondary pattern; these are then totaled for the score. The higher the score, the poorer the prognosis.
Lowercase grade or score, and use arabic numerals.
Diagnosis: Adenocarcinoma of prostate, Gleason score 8.
Gleason score 3 + 2 = 5.
Gleason 3 + 3 with a total score of 6.
without the S per AAMT-BOS (sm)
Subject: without the S per AAMT-BOS (sm)
eponyms
Names of entities—e.g., diseases, anatomic structures, operations, or tests— derived from the names of persons or places.
Homans sign
Lyme disease
Down syndrome
capitalization
Capitalize eponyms but not the common nouns, adjectives, and prefixes that accompany them.
Do not capitalize words derived from eponyms.
ligament of Treitz
red Robinson catheter
non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Parkinson disease but parkinsonism
Cushing syndrome but cushingoid
plurals
Do not use an apostrophe in the plural forms of eponyms.
Babinskis were negative.
possessive form
AAMT first advocated dropping the possessive form of eponyms in 1990. We adopted this standard because it promotes consistency and clarity. More recently, The AMA Manual of Style (1998), Stedman's Medical Dictionary (2000), and Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary (2000), have acknowledged the trend away from the possessive form.
It is important to note, however, that use of the possessive form remains an acceptable alternative if dictated and/or if indicated as the preference by employer or client.
Apgar score
Babinski sign
Down syndrome
Gram stain
Hodgkin lymphoma
In awkward constructions, such as when the noun following the eponym is omitted, the possessive form becomes preferred.
The patient's husband suffers from Alzheimer's.
AAMT says...
Subject: AAMT says...
AAMT under cancer classifications has it as grade 1.
AAMT says...
Subject: AAMT says...
AAMT under obstetrics has it as gravida 1 or G1
62 mL - according to AAMT - nm
Subject: 62 mL - according to AAMT - nm
From AAMT
Subject: From AAMT
fractions
Spell out or use numerals for common fractions. Use the dictation style as a guide.
An hour and a half before presentation, the patient slipped and fell.
or Approximately 1-1/2 hours before presentation... (if dictated "one and a half hours" or "one and one-half hours")
The glass was two-thirds full. or The glass was 2/3 full.
7/8-inch wound
a half-inch incision or a 1/2-inch incision (since it was dictated precisely)
about a half inch below the sternal notch (the word about makes this an imprecise measurement)
He smokes a pack and a half of cigarettes per day.
or He smokes 11/2 packs of cigarettes per day.
or He smokes 1-1/2 packs of cigarettes per day.
Copyright (c) 2002 American Association for Medical Transcription
Per my AAMT BOS, gm is acceptable, sm
Subject: Per my AAMT BOS, gm is acceptable, sm
but g is the referred method (no period), which is the way I type it, i.e. Valtrex 1 g
Of course, my BOS is not the newest version, so things could have changed.
FYI-AAMT BOS, edition 2
Subject: FYI-AAMT BOS, edition 2
 Just thought I would pass on some information recently sent to me.
AAMT BOS (Book of Style), 2nd edition
periods
Do not use periods within or at the end of most abbreviations, including acronyms, abbreviated units of measure, and brief forms. Use a period at the end of abbreviated English units of measure if they may be misread without the period. Better still, write out most English units of measure, thereby avoiding this use of a period at the end of an abbreviation.
wbc
WBC
mg
exam
prep
inch preferred to in. (Do not use in meaning inch without a period.)
However, use periods in lowercase drug-related abbreviations.
b.i.d.
q.4 h. = note it is "q.4" and then a space before the "h."
p.o.
p.r.n.
If a sentence terminates with an abbreviation that requires a period, do not add another period.
He takes Valium 5 mg q.a.m.
not He takes Valium 5 mg q.a.m..
plurals
Use a lowercase s without an apostrophe to form the plural of capitalized abbreviations, acronyms, and brief forms.
EEGs
PVCs
CABGs
exams
Use 's to form the plural of lowercase abbreviations.
rbc's
Use 's to form the plural of single-letter abbreviations.
X's
Hyphens and adjectives
15-year-old boy
The patient is a 33-year-old.
2-year 5-month-old child (note no comma in this)
5-1/2-year-old girl
1-month course
.38-caliber pistol - note no leading zero here - see below
two-thirds full
one-half normal saline
half-normal saline
She was panic-stricken
20-pack-year history
self-medicated
shell-like
For quantities less than 1, place a zero before the decimal point, except when the number could never equal 1 (e.g., in bullet calibers and in certain statistical expressions such as correlation coefficients and statistical probability).
0.75 mg
.22-caliber rifle
the new AAMT BOS says about numbers....sm
Subject: the new AAMT BOS says about numbers....sm
that you should use 4-5 and not spell out four to five.....all numbers now, even 1 through 9, should be numerals and not spelling out four, five, etc.
quote from AAMT BOS
Subject: quote from AAMT BOS
eponyms
A name of a drug, disease, anatomic structure, operations, etc., derived from the name of the person or place. Do not use the possessive form.
Homans sign
Lyme disease
Parkinson disease
Cushing syndrome
ligament of Treitz
I went to an AAMT convention once and
Subject: I went to an AAMT convention once and
Someone asked her about that word, and she said never type pussy, type pus-filled or pus-like. That is what I have done ever since and never got dinged on QA for it.
As per AAMT book 2, is it x2 or x 2? TIA nm
Subject: As per AAMT book 2, is it x2 or x 2? TIA nm
x
AAMT Style
Subject: AAMT Style
Anyone have any good web links to sum up AAMT BOS Second Edition - Don't have book yet...Thanks
Probably AAMT's benefit.
Subject: Probably AAMT's benefit.
I have been an MT for over 25 years and this is crazy stuff. I just do what the clients/hospitals prefer. Too many AAMT guidelines and I feel some are just totally ridiculous.
Regarding AAMT rules
Subject: Regarding AAMT rules
I go with my client preference, and when I began working his account, the sample reports did not use BOS rules. I only use numerals to express drug dosage, measurements, dates, etc. I also agree with you on the appearance of it.
AAMT changes this every year when they want to--sm
Subject: AAMT changes this every year when they want to--sm
sell another version of the BOS. I go with client preferance, which is still spelling out 1-10 and numerical above 10. Dates are spelled out within the body of the report...client preference. AAMT is not the know all end all, just another money grabbing gimic! JMO
AAMT rule
Subject: AAMT rule
Just getting back into MT after a long hiatus and can't remember the rules when typing numbers. Is it okay to separate number values by commas, such as 1, 2, 3, etc.? (pathetic, I know.) TIA!
cannot find in AAMT BOS
Subject: cannot find in AAMT BOS
Overall, the medication has been well-tolerated or well tolerated?
Thanks!
Per AAMT BOS2
Subject: Per AAMT BOS2
Under "dangerous abbreviations" they would prefer mL instead of cc; thus, have changed it in my expansions and use it for all hospitals without anything to the contrary ever being said for about a year now.
and per BOS2 and AAMT for this we are not
Subject: and per BOS2 and AAMT for this we are not
not supposed to expand - unless your client profile says to - so if the dictator says I's and O's and it's verbatim - well....they get I's and O's. Most accounts today do not want over-expansions to pad lines. Of course, the client profile (CP) comes first or client preferences, but secondarily across the board - BOS2 keeps us all pretty uniformed....
See below taken from AAMT BOS2
Subject: See below taken from AAMT BOS2
Ordinals: Ordinal numbers are used to indicate order or position in a series rather than quantity.
Ordinals are commonly spelled out, especially when the series goes no higher than 10 items. However, as with all numbers in medical reports, AAMT recommends using numerals: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.
Do not use a period with ordinal numbers.
3rd rib (or third)
5 th finger (or fifth)
She is to return for her 3rd (or third) visit in 2 days.
She was in her 9th (or ninth) month of pregnancy.
His return visits are scheduled for the 15th and 25th of next month.
The 4th cranial nerve...
From AAMT BOS2
Subject: From AAMT BOS2
followup, follow up
Use followup for the noun and adjective forms (the hyphenated form, follow-up is an acceptable alternative).
The patient did not return for followup. (noun)
In followup visits, she appeared to improve. (adjective)
For the verb, the two-word form follow up is the only correct choice.
We will follow up with regular return visits. (verb)
HINT: To test whether the correct form is one word or two, try changing the tense or number. If one or more letters must be added, the correct form is two words.
We will follow up.
tense change >>
We followed up.
(Followedup is not a word, so followed up must be two words.)
We follow up.
number change >>
He follows up.
(Followsup is not a word, so follows up must be two words.)
Per AAMT- BOS2
Subject: Per AAMT- BOS2
Express partial units as indicated.
D: grade 4 and a half over 6 murmur
T: grade 4.5 over 6 murmur
or grade 4.5/6 murmur
D: grade 4 to 5 over 6 murmur
T: grade 4 to 5 over 6 murmur
or grade 4/6 to 5/6 murmur
not grade 4-5/6 murmur
Per AAMT BOS2
Subject: Per AAMT BOS2
With periods for the latin abbreviation i.e.
q.i.d.
p.o.
b.i.d.
etc.
Per AAMT-BOS2...
Subject: Per AAMT-BOS2...
In particular, avoid the use of unnecessary or inappropriate capitals. Do not, for example, capitalize a common-noun reference to a thing or person if it is just one of many other such things or persons. Thus, emergency room and recovery room are not capitalized. Think of the rule for generic versus brand names for drugs. The generic term (common noun) emergency room is applied to all emergency rooms, so it is not capitalized.
Thus, I do not capitalize it unless it is with a facility name so I would say you are correct. Always exceptions to the rule according to the facility preference.
Per AAMT BOS2
Subject: Per AAMT BOS2
disk
Dictionaries and other reference works have long shown a lack of agreement about the spelling of this word. Some authorities prefer the spelling disc for references to the eye and disk for the spine. Others have an opposite preference.
We recommend the spelling disk for all anatomic and surgical references for this round, flat, regular, and regularly condensed plate of material.
There is classical support for this spelling. Disk is derived from the Greek diskos and came into our lexicon by way of medieval Latin (discos), whose alphabet does not include a k. Other English words ending in sk with similar derivation include ask, desk, kiosk, task, and whisk. By comparison, there are very few English words that end in sc.
optic disk
L4-5 disk space
diskectomy
diskitis
AAMT book says
Subject: AAMT book says
Use a hyphen for clarification.
after a prefix if it would have another meaning without the hyphen.
EX. re-cover (cover again)
recover (regain)
re-create (create again)
recreate (play)
or if there is an awkward combination of letters
EX. re-emphasize
re-evaluate
I would type retore. Hope this helps
Per AAMT BOS2
Subject: Per AAMT BOS2
Follow up versus follow-up; the hyphenated form is also an acceptable alernative.
Rest of the rules...
Followup, follow up: Use followup for the noun and adjective forms (the hyphenated form, follow-up is an acceptable alternative).
The patient did not return for followup. (noun)
In followup visits, she appeared to improve. (adjective)
For the verb, the two-word form follow up is the only correct choice.
We will follow up with regular return visits. (verb)
HINT: To test whether the correct form is one word or two, try changing the tense or number. If one or more letters must be added, the correct form is two words.
We will follow up.
tense change >>
We followed up.
(Followedup is not a word, so followed up must be two words.)
We follow up.
number change >>
He follows up.
(Followsup is not a word, so follows up must be two words.)
Per AAMT 2nd edition...
Subject: Per AAMT 2nd edition...
AAMT recommends dropping the period. See page 190.
Numbers per AAMT BOS...
Subject: Numbers per AAMT BOS...
Numerals, or figures, stand out from the surrounding text and serve a functional purpose in medical reports, where they should be used almost exclusively as opposed to spelled-out numbers:
She was seen in the emergency room 1 hour after the accident.
He tried 3 different medications without success.
The specimen weighed less than 2 pounds.
Arabic (per AAMT BOS)
Subject: Arabic (per AAMT BOS)
per AAMT, it is preferred to
Subject: per AAMT, it is preferred to
edit to read "x-ray again" as opposed to re-x-ray, but definitely not rex-ray or re-xray.
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