Which term describes a fee for a specific service paid by the patient at the time of an office visit?

The term that describes a fee for a specific service that is paid by the patient at the time of an office visit is copayment. A copayment, often referred to as a copay, is a fixed amount that a patient must pay directly to the healthcare provider at the time of receiving care. This amount is predetermined by the patient's health insurance plan and varies depending on the type of service provided (for example, a lower copay for a primary care visit compared to a specialist visit).

In contrast, a deductible is the amount a patient must pay out-of-pocket for healthcare services before their insurance starts to pay. A premium refers to the regular payment made to maintain an insurance policy, and coinsurance is the percentage of costs that a patient shares with their insurance after the deductible has been met. Thus, copayment is specifically targeted as the fixed fee due at the time of service, distinguishing it from these other forms of cost-sharing in insurance plans.