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 Accreditation
Official recognition that an organization meets certain standards of quality
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Acute Care Setting
a place where health care is provided for people who require a high level of care; patients usually have severe illnesses or are medically unstable, and length of stay in the facility is typically short (compare with post-acute care setting and long term care setting)
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Assisted-living facility
Type of long-term care facility provides residents with limited assistance with tasks such as medication administration, transportation, meals and housekeeping
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Client
A person who is receiving the services of a home health care agency
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Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs)
A system for controlling health care costs in which the length of a person's hospital stay, as well as payment for hospitalization, surgery or other treatment, is specifieed according to the person's diagnosis
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Group insurance
Insurance that is purchased at group rates by an employer or corporation
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Health care team
Group of people with different types of knowledge and skill levels who work together to provide holistic care to the patient or resident.
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Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
A managed care system that contracts with health care providers to provide health care services for a prepaid fee, and people seeking care agree to see only health care providers who are part of the HMO network
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Holistic
An adjective used to describe care of the whole person, physically and emotionally.
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Home health care agency
An agency that provides skilled care in a person's home.
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Hospice organization
A health care organization that provides care for people who are dying and their families.
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Hospital
A health care facility that provides treatment for people with acute medical or surgical conditions.
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Managed care system
A system designed to control health care costs by delivering health care to people who need it by arranging contacts with various health care providers; examples include PPOs and HMOs.
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Medicaid
A federally funded and state-regulated plan designed to help people with low incomes to pay for health care.
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Medicare
A type of insurance plan that is federally funded by Social Security and which all people 65 years and older, and some younger disabled people, are eligible to participate in.
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Minimum Data Set (MDS)
A report that focuses on the degree of assistance or skilled care that each resident of a long-term care facility needs.
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Mission
The officially stated purpose of a health care facility or organization
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Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
An agency within the Department of Labor that establishes safety and health standards for the workplace, to protect the safety and health of employees.
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Patient
A person who is receiving healt care in a hospital, clinic or extended-care facility.
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Precertification (preapproval) process
A system for controlling health care costs in which the health care provider must prove that a person's medical condition meets certain criteria and obtain the insurance company's go-ahead for the proposed treatment before starting treatment.
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Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)
A managed care system that contracts with an insurance company to accept a standard payment as total payment for services rendered; in return for seeking care only from health care providers who are part of the PPO network, the insured person usually receives that care at a reduced cost to herself.
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Resident
A person who is living in a long-term care facility or assisted living facility.
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Sub-acute care unit (skilled nursing unit, skilled nursing facility)
A unit within a hospital or a long-term care facility, or a separate facility that provides care focused on rehabilitation and helping the patient to move from hospital care to home care.
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Survey
an inspection of a nursing home carried out by the government to ensure that care is being provided according to standards and regulations.
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The Joint Commission Accreditation Survey
an independent, non-profit organization that sets national standards for all types of health care organizations and officially recognizes (accredits) organizations that meet these standards.
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United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
the primary government agency reponsible for protecting this nation's health; includes organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
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