Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The repair or replacement of a defective gene by a technique which is treats only the somatic (body) cells of the individual, that is, the change produced by the therapy affect only that individual; it will not produce changes in the sperm cells or ova which will be inherited by offspring.  

Computer programs and systems, as contrasted with “hardware,” which refers to the physical (hard) components of the computer and its accessories.  

A national organization which was merged with the Society for Advanced Medical Systems (SAMS), forming the American Association for Medical Systems and Informatics (AAMSI).  

A national organization which was merged with the Society for Computer Medicine (SCM), forming the American Association for Medical Systems and Informatics (AAMSI).  

A member of the staff of a long-term care facility (LTCF) responsible for identification of the emotional and social needs of a patient and for the services to meet these needs. Note that this term pertains to the duties assigned the employee, rather than the employee’s qualifications.  

An approach to health care reform which would regulate insurers who sell policies to small businesses, to make insurance more available and affordable. Such regulations may, for example, outlaw cherry picking, predatory pricing, medical underwriting, and other questionable practices.  

The banding together of several small employers in order to compete in purchasing power with large employers.  

Definition depends on the context in which the term is used, typically a particular statute or regulation. Generally, small employers are those that employ less than 50 people, although at least one recent health reform proposal put the limit at 100 employees. The distinction is important since the designation of “small employer” may exempt a…

Spoken words which injure the reputation of another; oral defamation. Written defamation is called “libel.” Defaming the character of another through injurious speech. To qualify legally for slander, speech must intentionally impugn the reputation of another and be both malicious and demonstrably false.  

A term which, in hospital usage, usually means to select patients who will be financially profitable (for example, because they have an illness for which the prospective payment system (PPS) favors the hospital, or because they have insurance and are not charity patients).