Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A term used by HCFA in its Medicare risk contracts with HMO/CMPs to mean the premium the HMO would charge for providing exactly the same Medicare-covered benefits to a community rated group, adjusted to allow for the greater intensity and frequency of utilization by Medicare recipients.  

The study of alcoholism and drug dependency.  

For this. An ad hoc committee is one formed for a particular purpose, usually limited in duration until the purpose is completed. This is in contrast to a standing committee, which purportedly remains active over time.  

The part of a legal complaint (the document which initiates a lawsuit) which states the amount of money (damages) the plaintiff demands. Some states prohibit a plaintiff from demanding any specific dollar amount other than that required for the court’s jurisdiction (for example, “a sum greater than ten thousand dollars”). This requirement helps avoid tabloid…

A forecast developed by specialized actuarial methods, giving the probability of future events for a given population, such as life expectancy, frequency of hospitalization, or probability of loss from fire. A common use of such forecasts is the calculation of insurance premiums and, for the insurer, the necessary reserves.  

The individual responsible for providing activities to patients in a long-term care facility (LTCF) in order to promote continuing involvement in activities of daily living (ADL) and to retard or prevent disabilities.  

A protocol used in Dublin in which pregnancy is accompanied by “customized childbirth classes; strict criteria for the diagnosis of labor; standardized management of labor, including early amniotomy and treatment with high-dose oxytocin; and one-to-one nursing”. The process is reported to result in a lower rate of cesarean sections in Dublin, although a recent (1995)…

A service of the Hospital Research and Educational Trust (HRET) of the American Hospital Association (AHA) designed to show how mature health care networks have brought together hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, home health services, and community health agencies to coordinate community care.  

Formally recognized by an accrediting body as meeting its standards for accreditation. The accrediting body for hospitals and certain other health care institutions in the United States is the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO); in Canada, the counterpart organization is the Canadian Council on Health Facilities Accreditation (CCHFA).  

Accreditation awarded by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) to an organization which has “demonstrated explemplary performance.” It is JCAHO’s highest accreditation decision.