Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Bed capacity
The number of patients a hospital can hold. A hospital may have different bed capacity figures depending on whether one refers to its constructed beds, its licensed beds, or its regularly maintained beds. Thus, a statement of capacity should always tell which is intended. It is possible, though, that bed capacity figures may all be…
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Base unit
A procedure or service used in developing a relative value scale (RVS).
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Base measure
A reference quantity or reference time, often a given year. For example, the data used in calculating a consumer price index (CPI) include base prices, which are prices found in the year chosen as the base.
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Bar code system
A machine-readable coding system which uses a pattern of bars and empty spaces to convey a specific meaning. The system is commonly encountered in grocery stores and other retail establishments, where the bar code is read with a scanning device. The system usually calculates the bill, corrects the inventory of the item, and carries out…
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Bandwidth
A term coined in the 1930’s to describe a range within a band of wavelengths of the radio frequency type. Its common usage today refers to the raw carrying capacity of a transmission medium, such as copper wires, fiber-optic cable, or satellite links. The greater the bandwidth, the more information can be transmitted. Telephones which…
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Balance sheet
One of the two standard components of a financial statement, on which are shown the assets (what is owned) and the liabilities (what is owed) by the organization. An organization is most unlikely to find the assets and the liabilities exactly equal, so a third category of entry makes the sheet “balance”: a line entitled…
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Balance billing
The practice of physicians to charge a patient the balance of charges when the patients insurance (or other third party payer) will not pay the entire charge. For example, when Medicare will pay the physician only 80% of her or his usual fee for a given service, the physician sometimes “balance bills” the patient, who…
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Audit
A term which usually means a financial audit, in which the organization’s financial statement, and the degree to which the statement reflects the actual affairs of the organization, are examined. An audit also includes a review of the procedures used to keep records, prevent losses of funds and equipment, and the like. An audit may…
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Assignment of benefits
A voluntary decision by the beneficiary to have insurance benefits paid directly to the provider rather than to the beneficiary him or herself. The act requires the signing of a form for the purpose. The provider is not obligated to accept an assignment of benefits; it may refuse and instead require the beneficiary to handle…
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Asset
An object (property or money, for example), a right (to royalties, for example), or a claim (a title to a debt, for example) which its owners consider to be of benefit to them. Assets in hospitals include property and equipment (which may have less value than their original cost because of depreciation), investments, accounts receivable…
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