PPO

noun

ˌpē-(ˌ)pē-ˈō 

plural PPOs

: an organization providing health care that gives economic incentives to the individual purchaser of a health care contract to patronize certain physicians, laboratories, and hospitals that agree to supervision and reduced fees compare hmo

Examples of PPO in a Sentence

I'm not sure if that doctor belongs to my PPO.

Recent Examples on the Web

CalPERS also recently added a benefit covering medical costs for in vitro fertilization across all basic plans, including PPO and HMO plans, beginning next July. — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026

Medicare Advantage is a program that takes the money that would have been spent on you by Medicare and gives it to a private insurance company that essentially gives you private insurance coverage, often HMO or PPO. — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2026

The firm had a strong PPO plan and a generous HSA contribution, but only about a third of eligible employees were enrolled in the HSA, and most couldn't articulate the difference between their deductible and their out-of-pocket maximum. — Jennifer Schaefer, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

The mechanism is an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO, abundant in bananas, which destroys flavanols both during blending and inside the stomach. — Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

preferred provider organization

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

PPO

noun

ˌpē-(ˌ)pē-ˈō 

plural PPOs

: an organization providing health care that gives economic incentives to the individual purchaser of a health care contract to patronize certain physicians, laboratories, and hospitals which agree to supervision and reduced fees

called also preferred provider organization

compare hmo