The document known as Explanation of Payment (EOP) is also commonly referred to as which of the following?

• A. Explanation of Benefits (EOB)
• B. Remittance Advice (RA)
• C. Both A and B
• D. Payment Summary

Answer: (C)

Understanding how payment details are communicated across payer and provider systems helps you see why this term has two common names. A document that breaks down how a claim was processed—what was paid, what was denied or adjusted, and what the patient may owe—is typically called an Explanation of Benefits for the patient. The same information, when sent electronically to the provider for accounting and reconciliation, is called a Remittance Advice. Because they convey the same processing details, both terms are used to describe the same concept in different contexts. The term Payment Summary isn’t a standard designation for this detailed payment breakdown, so it isn’t the correct label. In practice, you’ll see the patient-facing version as EOB and the electronic provider version as RA, but they represent the same core information about how a claim was paid or adjusted.