Category: A

A shorthand representation for something. Hospitals often use colors or numbers to indicate urgent situations. For example, “code blue” often is used to mean that a patient needs resuscitation; “code 2” may signal a disruptive (violent) patient or visitor; “Dr. Red” might mean a fire. A “code purple” in some hospitals means that a “VIP’…

The limit that HCFA may pay to a health maintenance organization (HMO) or competitive medical plan (CMP) for Medicare services under a risk contract. The APR is calculated for a particular geographic area, then adjusted according to the projected makeup of the HMO or CMP’s Medicare enrollment.  

A dollar amount arrived at by actuarial projection, which is meant to represent the average annual cost for a Medicare beneficiary in a particular geographic area. The AAPCC is the basis of the government’s payment to HMOs and other risk-based providers for Medicare beneficiaries. The government pays the HMO 95 percent of the AAPCC. If…

A photographic recording in which the image is produced on the film by the emissions from a radioactive isotope (in a tissue).  

A program in which an individual may deposit one or more units of his own blood to be kept in the frozen state in a special blood bank under close supervision for his later use in case of elective surgery or emergency. Such programs are typically operated by private corporations, which charge a fee (1986)…

A transfusion of an individual using his own blood, which was drawn previously and stored for later use, typically in elective surgery. This procedure, although used for many years primarily to avoid transfusion reactions (an individual does not react against his own blood), is gaining adherents because of the threat of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)…

The freezing of a living individual in order to preserve the body until some later date when science will have developed a cure for the patient’s disease. This procedure was the one employed in the 1973 Woody Allen movie “Sleeper”.  

A method for permitting a physician to “sign” a document (usually dictation) after it has been prepared by computer by recording his approval on a list of the documents. Presumably this method is acceptable if the physician has the opportunity and ability to verify the accuracy of the documents.  

To provide evidence which can be used to prove (in the legal sense) the authorship of a written record. Forms of authentication include, for example, a written signature, initials, symbol, and computer keys. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) permits authentication of a medical record entry by the use of a rubber-…

A legal defense to a lawsuit when the lawsuit is based on negligence. If a person knowingly and voluntarily exposes himself to a risk of harm, he is said to “assume the risk” meaning that he has agreed to accept it. This may release the defendant from liability. This defense is not usually successful in…