Category: L

In Medicare, the geographic area from which a carrier derives prevailing charges for the purpose of making reasonable charge determinations. Usually, a locality is a political or economic subdivision of a State and should include a cross-section of the population with respect to economic and other characteristics.    

Efforts by the provision of information, argument or other means by anybody, other than a citizen acting in his own behalf, to influence a governmental official in the performance of his duty. Federal legislation government lobbying activities (title III of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946) does not define the terms lobbying or lobbyist. The…

The complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord…

The last and greatest of an interesting line of English Quaker physicians, and the father of modern antiseptic surgery. He applied Pasteur’s germ theories of disease to surgery, showing that sterile conditions prevented surgical infections.  

In insurance, limits on dollar coverage contained in an insurance policy. Malpractice insurance generally contains such limits on the amounts payable for an individual claim, or in the policy year, e.g. $100,000 to $200,000, and $300,000 to $600,000, respectively. Excess coverage describes insurance with limits higher than these conventional amounts. It may also be used…

In the hospital insurance program of Medicare, a reserve of 60 days of inpatient hospital care available over an individual’s lifetime that the individual may use after he has used the maximum 90 days allowed in a single benefit period. A Medicare term referring to the pool of 60 days of hospital care upon which…

In insurance, a tabulated statement presenting mortality and survivor characteristics of a given population (employed men aged 20-25, for example). Used in underwriting to calculate risks. An actuarial presentation of the ages at which a group of males and/or females will die and from which mean life expectancy at any age can be estimated, based…

A fire safety code prepared by the National Fire Protection Association. The provisions of this Code (NFPA, 21st edition, 1967) relating to hospitals and nursing facilities must (except in instances where a waiver is granted) be met by facilities certified for participation under Medicare and Medicaid. The Secretary of HEW may accept a State’s fire…

Mortality, morbidity and suffering associated with a given medical procedure or disease. Life costs of diagnosis and therapy may be contrasted with their financial costs, the money required for their provision. Life costs of treating a disease can be compared with the mortality, morbidity and suffering (life costs) resulting from the untreated disease, while financial…

A subgroup of the Coordinating Council on Medical Education intended to serve as the accrediting agency for graduate medical education; application to be officially designated in this role is expected to be submitted to the U.S. Office of education. The committee includes representatives of the American Board of Medical Specialties. American Hospital Association, American Medical…