Issued by: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Issue Date: September 09, 2020

The DAES function is responsible for supporting a shared understanding of business terminology across the CMS data community.

CMS Standard Terms

DAES maintains a growing list of data terms that are used by CMS project teams. The CMS Standard Term List includes the name, abbreviation and definition for each term. The combination of one or more standard terms can form the name of a data component. See Data Description Guidelines for guidance on data naming. Projects that use this set of terminology for their data names also provide a common understanding to the rest of the CMS data community making it easier for the enterprise as a whole to function seamlessly.

To request a change or addition to the CMS Standard Term List, please complete the Standard Term Request Form, available under downloads, and submit to: CMSDataadmin@cms.hhs.gov.

Name Checker Utility

The Name Checker tool, built as an Excel add-in, is provided for assessing the compatibility of a list of candidate data component names in an Excel spreadsheet against the CMS Standard Term List. The tool provides users with a detailed report in Excel of any data components that are not compatible. Users should reference the Name Checker User Guide for detailed installation and usage instructions. The tool and user guide are available for download below.

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DISCLAIMER: The contents of this database lack the force and effect of law, except as authorized by law (including Medicare Advantage Rate Announcements and Advance Notices) or as specifically incorporated into a contract. The Department may not cite, use, or rely on any guidance that is not posted on the guidance repository, except to establish historical facts.