Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A tort where the wrongdoing consists of outrageous conduct which causes extreme mental suffering. This tort is also called outrage. Deliberate destruction of a person’s peace of mind; a common law tort. The conduct must be outrageous and beyond all bounds of decency; ordinary rude or insulting behavior is not enough. In those rare cases…

The telephone system of the future. ISDN is a technology which permits transmission of data on telephone lines at an extremely high speed, roughly 27 times faster than traditional technology. It uses digital signals instead of analog, and is therefore very popular among users who use telephone lines to connect computers to each other. Because…

A group of hospitals, physicians, other providers, insurers, and/or community agencies that work together to coordinate and deliver a broad spectrum of services to their community. This definition is from the 1995-96 AHA Guide, which has for the first time a listing of “integrated health delivery networks.” The Guide notes that it has identified networks…

A term being used to indicate that public relations, sales literature, employee communications, television advertising, magazine advertising, outdoor displays, direct mail, and other devices should be considered together, as they can contribute to the solution of an organization’s positioning efforts.  

The form on which a physician or other provider submits the claim for care given. Each insurance company may design and require its own form, as can the federal and state governments. This lack of standardization has at least two negative consequences: everyone has to work much harder to complete and understand the form, and,…

The process of supplying to diabetics the insulin which they need.  

A “standard scale of function” sometimes used to measure severity of illness. It is a portion of the Older American Resources and Services Questionnaire (OARS). The LADL scale involves ability to perform six activities of daily living (ADL): dressing and undressing; walking; taking a bath or shower; going shopping for groceries or clothes; preparing meals;…

A committee in an investigator’s institution set up to provide peer review for research programs supported by grants and contracts financed by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Similar review is also required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for investigational new drugs. The committee may not have as members any persons…

A body formed by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 1970 to secure the services of eminent members of appointed professions for the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to NAS in 1863 by its charter to be an advisor to the…

A national organization which has a group working on computer standards, some of which apply to medical systems. An organization partially responsible for standards regulating electrical devices and equipment.