CC Medical Abbreviation: Chief Complaint, Cubic Centimeter and Coding Meaning
CC most commonly means “Chief Complaint” when it appears as a heading or label in a clinical history. Lowercase cc can mean cubic centimeter, a volume equal to 1 mL, while U.S. hospital coding uses CC for “complication or comorbidity” in the MS-DRG system.
The surrounding words usually identify the right meaning: “CC: chest pain” points to chief complaint, “5 cc” points to volume, and “with CC/MCC” points to hospital coding rather than a symptom or diagnosis heading.
The same letters can do different jobs
Independent terminology guide: Medical-Terms.org is not a hospital, insurer, coding authority, pharmacy, or government agency. Abbreviations can vary by organization. If CC appears in your own medical record, prescription, claim, or discharge paperwork and the meaning changes what you should do, confirm it with the professional or organization that created the document.
What does CC mean in medical terms?
In a medical history or visit note, CC usually stands for “Chief Complaint,” meaning the main reason for the encounter. CMS documentation guidance defines the chief complaint as a concise statement describing the symptom, problem, condition, diagnosis, recommended return or other factor that explains why the encounter is taking place. NCBI MedGen similarly describes the chief complaint as the primary reason for a patient visit.
CC is also used in other ways. Medical abbreviation glossaries distinguish uppercase CC for chief complaint from lowercase cc for cubic centimeter. In Medicare inpatient payment terminology, CC means a complication or comorbidity used in MS-DRG severity classification.
| CC meaning | Typical setting | Context clue |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Complaint | History and physical, outpatient note, ED note, intake documentation | Often appears as a heading or before a symptom/reason: “CC: cough” |
| Cubic centimeter | Volume measurements, older medication/device documentation, research | Usually follows a number: “5 cc”; 1 cc = 1 mL |
| Complication or comorbidity | U.S. inpatient coding, Medicare MS-DRG documentation | Appears with coding terms such as CC/MCC, DRG, secondary diagnosis or severity |
Capitalization helps, but it is not a perfect rule. Many systems normalize text to uppercase, and older records may not preserve case. The document type and surrounding words are more reliable than capitalization alone.
CC = Chief Complaint in clinical documentation
The chief complaint is the short statement that identifies why the patient is seeking care or why the encounter is occurring. In a chart, it may be a symptom such as “chest pain,” a problem such as “ankle injury,” a condition needing follow-up, or another reason for the visit.
CMS documentation guidance says the medical record should clearly reflect the chief complaint. NCBI nursing guidance describes it as the patient’s reason for seeking care and emphasizes starting the health history by obtaining that reason in the patient’s own words when possible.
Usually brief
A chief complaint is generally concise. It identifies the presenting issue rather than telling the full story of the illness.
Often a chart heading
You may see CC: followed by a short phrase, such as “headache for two days” or “follow-up after surgery.”
Starts the encounter story
The chief complaint helps orient the history, but it does not by itself establish the final diagnosis.
CC vs HPI: the reason for the visit vs the story of the problem
CC and HPI often appear near each other because they serve different parts of the medical history. CC gives the concise reason for the encounter. HPI means History of Present Illness and expands on the current problem—how it started, how it has changed and other details relevant to understanding it.
| Chart element | What it answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| CC — Chief Complaint | Why is the patient here? | “Shortness of breath” |
| HPI — History of Present Illness | What is the detailed story of the current problem? | When the breathing problem began, what makes it worse, associated symptoms and relevant progression |
| PMH — Past Medical History | What relevant previous or established health problems are part of the background? | Prior asthma, hypertension or other documented conditions |
Related reading: Hx medical abbreviation and PMH medical abbreviation explain other history-related shorthand used near the chief complaint.
cc = cubic centimeter: 1 cc equals 1 mL
Lowercase cc can mean cubic centimeter, a metric unit of volume. The National Cancer Institute defines cc as a measure of volume and notes that it is also called a cubic centimeter, milliliter or mL. Numerically, 1 cc = 1 mL.
1 cc
Equals 1 milliliter (1 mL).
5 cc
Equals 5 mL. The number is a volume, not a drug dose by itself.
Why context matters
A volume tells you how much liquid space is involved; it does not by itself identify the medication concentration, drug amount or correct dose.
Medication-safety point: current FDA-linked pharmacy labeling guidance says prescription container labels should use mL and should not use alternatives such as cc. AHRQ materials reproducing Joint Commission guidance also note that poorly written “cc” can be mistaken for “U” (units) and recommend writing mL instead.
If an older prescription, syringe instruction or medical record uses “cc,” do not convert that into a medication dose without also checking the drug concentration and the actual directions. For current patient-facing liquid medication instructions, mL is the clearer unit.
CC = complication or comorbidity in Medicare MS-DRG coding
In U.S. inpatient coding and Medicare payment documentation, CC can mean complication or comorbidity. CMS uses CC alongside MCC, which means major complication or comorbidity, within the Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG) system.
The current CMS MS-DRG definitions manual states that certain secondary diagnosis codes are designated as a CC or MCC for severity classification. This is a coding and payment classification context; it is not the same thing as a clinician writing “CC: abdominal pain” at the top of a medical history.
What suggests the coding meaning?
- “CC/MCC” appears together
- MS-DRG or DRG terminology is nearby
- The document discusses secondary diagnoses or severity
- The material is about inpatient coding, reimbursement or classification
What not to assume
A diagnosis being labeled a CC in MS-DRG logic does not mean the abbreviation “CC” is the diagnosis itself. It describes how a qualifying secondary diagnosis is classified within the DRG system.
Example: “DRG without CC/MCC” is coding language. It does not mean the patient has “no chief complaint.”
How to tell which CC meaning is intended
Check whether CC is a heading
If the record says “CC:” followed by a symptom or reason for the visit, Chief Complaint is the strongest interpretation.
Look for a number and a volume
If CC follows a quantity—such as “3 cc” or “10 cc”—the writer is likely referring to cubic centimeters. In modern medication directions, mL is preferred.
Look for coding language
If CC appears beside MCC, DRG, secondary diagnosis or inpatient coding terminology, it likely means complication or comorbidity.
Do not rely on capitalization alone
Uppercase/lowercase distinction is useful in many glossaries, but electronic records, copied text and all-caps systems may remove that clue.
Confirm consequential instructions
If the interpretation affects medicine, follow-up, billing questions or another important action, ask the relevant clinician, pharmacist, coder or organization rather than guessing.
Examples of CC in medical records
| Example wording | Likely meaning | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| “CC: sore throat for 3 days” | Chief Complaint | The sore throat is the stated reason for the encounter. |
| “CC: medication follow-up” | Chief Complaint / reason for encounter | The visit is for follow-up rather than a new symptom. |
| “Draw 2 cc” in an older document | Cubic centimeter | 2 cc equals 2 mL, but medication directions should be verified and current labeling prefers mL. |
| “MS-DRG with CC” | Complication or comorbidity | This is inpatient classification language, not a chief-complaint heading. |
| “No CC/MCC” | No qualifying CC or MCC for that DRG classification | This does not mean the patient had no reason for seeking care. |
These are explanatory examples, not excerpts from a specific patient record.
Does “Chief Complaint” have a standardized medical code?
Yes. NCBI MedGen lists the concept Chief complaint with Concept ID C0277786 and maps it to SNOMED CT concept 1269489004, labeled “Presenting complaint” / “Chief complaint.” This coding relationship describes the medical concept; it does not make the abbreviation CC itself an ICD diagnosis code.
Common mistakes when reading CC
Calling CC a diagnosis
The chief complaint is the reason for the encounter, not automatically the final diagnosis.
Reading every cc as a dose
Cubic centimeter is a volume. Medication dose depends on the drug and concentration as well as volume.
Ignoring CC/MCC
In an MS-DRG document, CC is coding terminology, not the chief complaint.
Trusting capitalization alone
Electronic records may convert both CC and cc to the same case. Read the complete line.
Authoritative sources used for this CC definition
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services documentation guidelines — explicitly defines Chief Complaint (CC) and states that the medical record should clearly reflect it.
- NCBI MedGen: Chief complaint — defines the concept as the primary reason for a patient visit and provides the SNOMED CT mapping.
- University of Rochester Medical Center abbreviation glossary — distinguishes CC = chief complaint from cc = cubic centimeter.
- National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms: cc — verifies cubic centimeter as a metric volume and its equivalence to milliliter/mL.
- FDA-hosted NCPDP recommendations for liquid medication labeling — recommends mL and advises against using cc on prescription container labels.
- CMS ICD-10-CM/PCS MS-DRG v43.1 Definitions Manual — defines CC/MCC use for complication or comorbidity classification in the MS-DRG system.
Verification rule: the correct meaning of an abbreviation in a personal medical record ultimately depends on the document and the organization that produced it. Use this page to decode the terminology, then confirm unclear instructions at the source.
CC medical abbreviation FAQs
What does CC stand for in a medical chart?
In a clinical history or visit note, CC commonly stands for Chief Complaint, the concise reason for the encounter.
What is an example of a chief complaint?
Examples include “chest pain,” “cough for three days,” “ankle injury,” or “follow-up after surgery.” A chief complaint states why the patient is being seen; it is not automatically the final diagnosis.
What is the difference between CC and HPI?
CC is the brief reason for the visit. HPI, or History of Present Illness, gives the detailed story of the current problem, including relevant timing, progression and associated information.
Does cc mean milliliters?
Lowercase cc means cubic centimeter, and 1 cc is equal to 1 mL. For current medication labeling, mL is preferred because cc can be misread.
Why should “cc” be avoided on medication labels?
Medication-safety guidance prefers mL. Poorly written “cc” can be mistaken for “U” meaning units, creating a risk of dosing errors.
What does CC mean in medical billing or hospital coding?
In the Medicare MS-DRG system, CC means complication or comorbidity. MCC means major complication or comorbidity. This is different from Chief Complaint.
Is CC a diagnosis code?
No. CC is an abbreviation. The concept “Chief complaint” has standardized terminology mappings, including SNOMED CT 1269489004 in NCBI MedGen, but the letters CC themselves are not an ICD diagnosis code.
Does capitalization always tell me what CC means?
No. Many glossaries use uppercase CC for Chief Complaint and lowercase cc for cubic centimeter, but electronic systems may change case. The surrounding words and document type are more reliable.
How to use this CC definition safely
This page explains terminology and does not interpret an individual diagnosis, medication order, bill or insurance claim. If CC is part of a medical instruction, medication measurement or coding decision that affects you, confirm the intended meaning with the relevant clinician, pharmacist, health information department, coder or payer.