Author: Glossary

Directing principles which lay out a suggested policy or procedure. An instructional guide or reference to indicate a course of action in a specified situation (e.g., critical care guideline). Located either at the perimeter or the interior of the cut, that determines the length the hair will be cut; usually the first section that is…

A pool of money, funded by assessing insurers, which is designed to protect health care providers and consumers if an insurer becomes insolvent.  

The body which is legally responsible for the hospital’s policies, organization, management, and quality of care. It is often called the “hospital board,” “board of trustees,” “governing board,” or “board of directors.” Individual members of the body are “trustees” or “directors,” depending on the name of the body. The governing body is accountable to the…

A state law which protects a volunteer who stops at the scene of an accident and assists the victims, making that volunteer immune from suit as long as he did not act maliciously or recklessly. Most states have such a law.  

A legal term which means honest in fact, and describes the state of mind of someone acting without intent to defraud or injure, but with the intent of carrying out his legal and professional obligations honestly and fairly, without ulterior or dishonest motive.  

Slang for practicing without professional liability insurance coverage.  

A single fee charged for certain medical services which would otherwise be broken down into a number of separate fees. Managed care plans frequently use this method to achieve greater predictability of costs, since there otherwise could be significant variations in what separate services the provider actually bills for. For any complex surgery, for instance,…

A limit on total health care spending for a given unit of population, taking into account all sources of funds. In health care reform discussions and proposals, it usually means that caps will be placed on (1) employers’ expenditures, based on payroll, (2) individuals’ expenditures for insurance, based on income, (3) institutional budgets’ “core spending,”…

A regulated multi-payer system of health care. In Germany, approximately 1200 nonprofit insurance plans, called Krankenkasse or “sickness funds,” are organized by employers, labor unions, and professional groups. The plans are funded by equal payroll taxes on both employers and employees. Self-employed and wealthier employees may purchase private insurance. Funds are turned over to regional…

A measure of the national economy which takes into account such factors as depletion of natural resources, the costs of crime, the household and volunteer economy, defensive expenditures (other than against crime), the distribution of income, and the loss of leisure. The GPI is a start toward an economic indicator to replace the gross domestic…