UCR
Pronunciation: U-C-R
Also written as: UCR — Usual, Customary, and Reasonable
Acronym for Usual, Customary, and Reasonable; the fee benchmark insurers use to determine maximum reimbursement for a dental procedure.
Full Definition
UCR stands for Usual, Customary, and Reasonable, a fee-benchmarking framework employed by dental insurance carriers to cap benefit payments. 'Usual' refers to the fee a specific dentist charges for a procedure; 'Customary' reflects the range of fees charged by dentists in the same geographic area; 'Reasonable' accounts for unusual complexity. Editors working on patient financial documents, insurance explanations, or fee schedules must render this as the initialised form 'UCR' after first use of the full form. The term is frequently misunderstood by patients, so patient-facing copy should define it explicitly.
Usage
Usage note: Spell out in full on first reference in all patient-facing documents; thereafter the initialised form UCR is acceptable.
In Context
- "The patient's out-of-pocket balance increased because the specialist's fee exceeded the insurer's UCR for that ZIP code." — Patient billing statement
- "When editing the fee schedule disclosure, ensure UCR is spelled out in full on first reference." — Patient financial document