Category: S

A modified classification system reportedly being readied by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) for use in the Medicare payment process for early implementation. The purpose is to address the criticism of DRGs that they result in the same pay for all patients within a given category, that they do not reflect the fact that…

When a patient directly contacts a specialist to obtain secondary care. This is distinguished from a primary care physician (PCP) making the referral on behalf of the patient. A physician referring a patient so as to create a conflict of interest. Physicians are prohibited by federal law from accepting payments from any provider resulting from…

The base office of an organization, including its professional and clerical staffs, along with the essential technological and other resources necessary for carrying out the work of the organization.  

Giving diagnostic tests to “normal” individuals or a population in order to detect diseases. The tests employed include examinations of the blood and urine, x-rays, blood pressure measurements, height and weight, questionnaires, and vision and hearing testing. Screening may be employed for detection of a single problem, such as hypertension (high blood pressure) or drug…

A nuclear medicine scanning procedure using a radioactive tracer which has been suggested as an alternative or complementary procedure to traditional mammography and biopsy for the detection of breast cancers. Mammography enhanced by a radioactive isotope study of healthy and malignant breast tissue. The radioactive tracer is injected into a peripheral vein and is taken…

A legal doctrine which states that the standard of care (legal) in a malpractice lawsuit will be measured by the degree of care exercised by professionals within the same specialty or “school” of medicine. For example, under the school rule, osteopaths (DOs) would be measured by the practices of other osteopaths, not those of medical…

A vertical outgrowth of bone from a vertebra, seen in ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter’s syndrome, and psoriatic arthritis. Fusion of syndesmophytes across the joints between vertebrae contributes to rigidity of the spine, seen in advanced cases of these diseases. A bony bridge formed between adjacent vertebrae.  

Congenital fusion of the lips. A birth condition where the lips are joined together, resulting in no mouth opening.  

A developmental abnormality in which there is fusion of the legs with absence of the feet. A fusion of the lower extremities.  

One of the small cells formed in the early development of nerve tissue that eventually become the neurons of the sympathetic nervous system.