Category: O

Submission of a patient’s bill with diagnosis and operation coding which will qualify for the highest reimbursement possible, yet avoid any suggestion to the payer’s audit system that an attempt is being made to obtain unjustified reimbursement, i.e., to avoid interpretation of the bill as “over-coded”. Computer systems which are intended to achieve optimal coding…

Short for On Lok Senior Health Services, a program in San Francisco’s Chinatown which enables severely disabled and frail older persons to remain at home rather than be placed in nursing homes.  

Electronically available from a local or remote location; can be accessed by computer with a modem or through a network. Often written as “on-line”. Online information is generally thought to be easier to distribute widely and keep up to date. Some types of information which can be made available online, such as pictures and sounds,…

A market in which there are only a few buyers who exert great influence on the market. A special case of oligopsony is a monopsony, in which there is only one buyer.  

A technique reported from Canada in which a review team goes into the offices of physicians whose practice is outside the hospital, and examines patient records (medical records) for the purpose of determining the quality of care.  

An area of specialization in health care which concerns the factors (such as working conditions and exposure to hazardous materials) in an occupation that influence the health of workers in that occupation, and which is concerned generally with the prevention of disease and injury and the maintenance of fitness (because these factors are important in…

A specific act of service provided a patient, such as a test or procedure.  

An organization set up to carry out services such as home health care, “meals on wheels/’ or registration of tumor patients. In this usage, the agency may be part of either the public sector or the private sector. If the agency is private, it may be either nonprofit or for-profit.  

Method of drug rehabilitation in which clients regularly visit a treatment center for guidance and counseling, but continue to live at home. Medical care in a hospital that does not include an overnight stay. Outpatient treatment may also be provided at a clinic or doctor’s office.  

The harmful side effect of some drugs and toxins influencing the hearing and balance functions of the ear. Damage to tissues of the inner ear caused by medications or chemicals, resulting in disturbances in hearing and balance. Affected tissues can include the cochlea, the cochlea’s hair cells (sensory cells that transform sound waves into nerve…