Author: Glossary
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Financial structure
The portion of an organization’s balance sheet which shows how its assets are financed.
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Financial statement
A “picture” of the financial condition of an institution, which consists of a “balance sheet” and an “income and expense statement.”
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Federalism
A form of association between organizations which are independent but which delegate certain common functions to a central body. The United States is a federation. There is increasing interest in forming local federations among health care providers and agencies in order to allow organizations and institutions to retain their identities and yet to avoid duplication…
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Family care home
A family residence which provides rest home care to a limited number of persons. Usually the number of persons who can be cared for is stipulated by law or regulations as, for example, six or fewer (a greater number of persons turns the facility into a “rest home” and places it under rest home licensure…
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Family birth center
A family-centered unit in the hospital where mothers with normal pregnancies may, if they wish, deliver their babies in a hospital, but in a homelike environment.
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Faith organization
A generic term covering all religious organizations. Such organizations, which exist in all communities, have certain common features: they address sickness and health through education and service, they believe in feeding die hungry, clothing the naked, and healing the sick. Because of these attributes, faith organizations often provide effective and potent vehicles for health efforts.…
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Facility institution
A health care facility, which is any institution organized to provide ambulatory, inpatient, residential, or other health care.
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Explicit
Specifically stated. For example, if there are conditions tied to one’s income which state that nothing can be spent on travel, that is an explicit limitation. If there are no conditions, but the income will not permit both a vacation trip and painting the house, the necessity for choice (or establishing priorities) is implicit; it…
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Expenditure target
A goal for attempting to hold down the rate of growth in expenditures. Such a target may be mandated by law and limit the payments which may be made, for example, to a physician in a given year. One such target is the Medicare Volume Performance Standards (MVPS).
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Exclusive provider organization
An alternative delivery system (ADS) for health care which is a cross between a health maintenance organization (HMO) and a preferred provider organization (PPO). As in PPOs, the providers are paid on a fee-for-service basis and generally the providers are not at risk. However, beneficiaries have less freedom in obtaining their care from providers outside…