Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Refusal by insurers to insure high-risk industries, professions, or individuals (especially those who might inherit diseases). If the blacklisting applies to high-risks in a given geographical area, it is called “redlining” (this has been a civil rights issue). Refusal to insure a high-risk industry is also called “industry screening.”  

Notifying patients or their third party payers of the charges for services rendered, along with the amount due.  

Care which assists with the physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological, social, financial, and legal needs of the survivor(s) of a person who has died.  

The array or set of benefits (services covered) included in or provided by a given insurance “policy.” The term is widely heard in the health care reform discussions; one does not hear it used in connection with automobile insurance.  

The performance, with respect to a given attribute, of an organization or individual whose performance is considered to be the goal of others. In the context of health care reform, benchmark performance would be that which delivers the best combination of results and cost; i.e., the “best” possible outcome may cost so much that it…

A overall percentage decrease in physician fees to be paid by Medicare during the period of transition to the resource based relative value scale (RBRVS). The assumption was made by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) that physicians would attempt to adjust to the RBRVS (which will reduce physician fees for certain services) by increasing…

A slang term for a physician-owned professional liability insurance company.  

A way to measure the utilization of hospital inpatient facilities.  

The number of beds a hospital maintains regularly for the use of inpatients.  

The reassignment of beds by the hospital from one use to another, for example, the reassignment of beds from acute care to long-term care use. When such a conversion is done in both directions (when it is, depending on changing circumstances, reversible) the beds are usually called swing beds. In some states, certain types of…