Exloring health, medicine, healthcare, and healthcare industry.

I've worked in the healthcare industry from the IT side (instead of the patient care side) but we should all take a good deal of personal responsibility for the health of our selves and others.

Glossary

apoptosis
Cell suicide.
borborygmus
boar bah rig muss. Stomach rumbling sounds made by the movement of gases in the intestine and stomach.
CatSper
A protein found in the tail of sperm cells that helps the sperm swim more strongly. CatSper may be used to develop unisex contraceptives that may be taken before or shortly after sex. [2001-10-11].
CMS [W]
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Formerly Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). The federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that administers Medicare [http://www.hcfa.gov/medicare/medicare.htm], Medicaid [http://www.hcfa.gov/medicaid/medicaid.htm] and the State Children's Health Insurance [http://www.hcfa.gov/init/children.htm] Program (SCHIP). They are also responsible for other things such as the privacy of patient health data via Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
CPT [W]
Current Procedural Terminology. Aka procedure code; billing code. Developed by the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1966, and maintained by the AMA. Each year, an annual publication is prepared, that makes changes corresponding with significant updates in medical technology and practice. CPT 2001 contains 7,928 codes and descriptors.
doctor
Physician.
DSM [W]
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) since 1952.
DX
Diagnosis.
EHR
Electronic Health Record. Inter-hospital owned and controlled. See EMR and PHR.
EMR
Electronic Medical Record. Intra-hospital owned and controlled. See EHR and PHR.
EOB
Explanation of Benefits.
epicahus
Aka epicanthic fold. A vertical fold of skin from the upper eyelid that covers the inner corner of the eye. It is normal in Mongolian (Asian) races and also occurs in certain congenital conditions. EG: Down's syndrome.
HCFA
See CMS.
HCPCS [W]
Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System. HCPS was established in 1978 as a superset of the CPT.
HIPAA
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Passed by Congress in 1996. Concerned with the right to privacy for patients.
HMO
Health Maintenance Organization. Group medical insurance that entitles members to services of participating hospitals and clinics and physicians.
HSA
Health Savings Account. A tax-advantaged medical savings account similar to a 401(k) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA). A tax free account that can be used for medical expenses.
ICD [W]
International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (officially) or International Classification of Diseases (easier to remember). Codes (up to 5 characters long) and basic descriptions for diagnoses of known diseases and injuries. ICD is based upon the system introduced by French physician, Jacques Bertillon, in 1893. The World Health Organization (WHO) has the responsibility of updating the ICD roughly every 10 years. ICD-9 was published in 1977. ICD-10 was finished in 1992.
IPA
Independent Physicians/Providers/Practices Association. Group of private practice physicians working together
managed care
Any system that manages healthcare delivery to control costs. Usually an insurance company or a doctor-hospital network acts an intermediate between the person seeking care and the physician.
Medicaid
A federal and state health insurance program designed to provide access to health services for persons below a certain income level. Provides health care to women and children who qualify for AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) and the impoverished elderly who are poor.
Medicare
A federal health insurance program designed to provide health care for the elderly and the disabled. People who qualify for Social Security benefits are automatically eligible for Medicare
MSP
Multi-Specialty Practice
NFP
Neighborhood Family Practice
NPI
National Provider ID
PCP
(1) Primary Care Provider

(2) Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia. A type of pneumonia often associated with HIV.
plu
(3) Phencyclidine. Aka Angeldust.
PHR
Personal Health Record. Patient owned & controlled. See also EHR and EHR.
PHO
Physician/Practice Hospital Organization.
Physician
A person who practices biological medicine. Aka doctor; practitioner; provider; medical doctor; medical practitioner; service provider;.

"Doctor" means "teacher" in Latin. A "doctorate" is the highest level of academic degree awarded (it's above a bachelor's and master's degree). Doctorates come in three varieties: Research doctorates (aka Doctor of Philosophy; Ph.D.; Philosophiæ Doctor in Latin) are for academic research of publishable quality in a large variety of fields. Professional doctorates (aka first professional degrees; licentiate) can do licensed work in specific fields like dentistry, human medicine, veterinary medicine, architecture, and psychology. Honorary doctorates are, well, honorary.

As far as human medicine in the US, two kinds of medical doctorates are licensed in all 50 states: Doctor of Medicine (aka M.D.; MD; Medicinæ Doctor in Latin) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (aka O.D.; OD; D.O.; DO). "Alternative medicines" have met considerable resistance in the politics, economy, and science of American medicine and culture.

A medical specialist is a physician with additional expertise in a particular field of medicine.
POS
Place of Service.
PPO
Preferred Provider Organization. A group medical insurance plan in which members receive more coverage of services provided by participating hospitals and clinics and physicians.
Provider
Physician.
PX
Procedure
RBRVS
Resource-Based Relative Value Scale. 'In 1992, Medicare significantly changed the way it pays for physicians' services. Instead of basing payments on charges, the federal government established a standardized physician payment schedule based on a resource-based relative value scale (RBRVS). In the RBRVS system, payments for services are determined by the resource costs needed to provide them. The cost of providing each service is divided into three components: physician work, practice expense and professional liability insurance. Payments are calculated by multiplying the combined costs of a service by a conversion factor (a monetary amount that is determined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). Payments are also adjusted for geographical differences in resource costs.' -http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2292.html
seratonin
5- hydroxytryptamine. A neurotransmitter used at the ends of nerves. It is manufactured in your body using the amino acid tryptophan. At the meeting of one nerve with another there is a space. Release of seratonin (or other drugs, depending on the type of nerve) causes the other nerve to fire and continue the message along the "cable". It is also found in platelets. Release of seratonin by injured platelets is thought to cause blood vessels to contract. Prozac, the happy drug, generally boosts seratonin levels.
Service Provider
Physician.

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