Healthcare Acronyms

Exclusive Provider Organization

Similar to HMOs as their members are required to stay within their networks for health services and choose PCPs to coordinate their medical care. Members do not have to pay deductibles, and they will pay small co-pay amounts for network care and can only go out of network and receive insurance coverage if they were referred (typically cheaper than PPOs or HMOs). However, EPO plans provide fewer physician networks to their members than HMO plans, and their premiums are cheaper as well. Another difference is HMO insurers make monthly payments to their doctors while EPO plans pay their physicians only when services are rendered. See also HMO, POS, and PPO.