Coordination of Benefits
Also written as: COB — Coordination of Benefits
The process of determining which of two or more dental insurance plans pays first and how much each plan contributes when a patient has dual coverage.
Full Definition
Coordination of Benefits (COB) is a standardised procedure used when a patient is covered by more than one dental insurance plan, ensuring that total benefit payments do not exceed 100% of the actual dental fee. One plan is designated the 'primary' carrier and pays first; the other, 'secondary', covers some or all of the remainder. Editors working on claim forms, benefit summaries, and billing narratives must use the capitalised full form on first reference, followed by the parenthetical abbreviation 'COB'. The phrase is always written as three separate words—no hyphens—regardless of its position in a sentence.
Usage
Usage note: Never hyphenate. Introduce the abbreviation COB in parentheses immediately after the first full-form reference.
In Context
- "The billing coordinator flagged the claim for coordination of benefits review because the patient listed two active policies." — Insurance claim form
- "When editing COB language in plan documents, verify that primary and secondary carrier roles are unambiguously defined." — Benefit plan summary document