Category: D

A euphemism for “getting rid of”. The term is being used, for example, when a physician is not kept as a member of a managed care organization. Such deselection may occur because the care provided by that physician is regarded as too costly by the organization, or because the outcome of the care is not…

One of the medical specialties for which residency programs have been approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).  

A technique used in accounting to recognize the fact that certain kinds of property (assets), such as equipment, depreciate (lose their value) over time; assets may wear out or be made obsolete by new inventions, or materials, or techniques. Depreciated property must be replaced with the same or more modern equipment, or be abandoned as…

During a lawsuit but outside of the courtroom, the questioning under oath of a party or witness by the attorney for the adverse party, with attorneys for both sides and a court reporter (stenographer) present. Although the deposition is used to obtain information for trial, part or all of it may itself be admissible (allowed…

The department of the executive branch of the federal government in charge of enery policy. Its stated mission is “to contribute to the welfare of the Nation by providing the technical information and scientific and educational foundation for technology, policy, and institutional leadership necessary to achieve efficiency in energy use, diversity in energy sources, a…

The department of the executive branch of the federal government in charge of a variety of programs dealing with the environment, food production, and natural resource use and preservation. In addition to the foregoing, the USDA is also somewhat unique among the federal agencies in that it is also charged with the mission of coordinating…

An emerging strategy in managed care for influencing the demands placed on health care providers by health care consumers. The intent is to lower consumer demand for health care, with the result of fewer health care services required and a lower cost.  

A nursing education program operated by an educational institution which confers a degree (usually. Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)) upon successful completion. The term is sometimes used in connection with a program which confers an associate degree (AD). A degree program is contrasted with a diploma program, which is conducted by a hospital that…

A health care plan in which the contribution by the employer is fixed; competition occurs among providers at this point, rather than when the competitive choice is expected to be made by the patient or subscriber.  

The publication of a statement which injures the reputation of another. “Publication” means that the statement is communicated to a third person (someone other than the “defamer” and the “defamed”); if no one else hears or reads the statement, it is not defamation. Written defamation is called “libel”; oral defamation is “slander.” Both libel and…