Terms Flashcards
AAPM&R
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
ACCESS TO CARE
The ability and ease of clients to obtain healthcare when they need it.
ACCESSIBLE
A term used to denote building facilities that are barrier-free thus enabling all
members of society safe access, including persons with physical disabilities.
ACCOUNTABLE CARE
ORGANIZATION (ACO)
A set of healthcare providers including primary care physicians, specialists, and hospitals that work together collaboratively and accept collective accountability
for the cost and quality of care delivered to a population of patients. ACOs became popular in the Medicare fee-for-service benefit system as a result of the Affordable Care Act. ACOs are formed around a variety of existing types of
provider organizations such as multispecialty medical groups, physician-hospital organizations (PHO), and organized or integrated delivery systems (accountable
care facts, available at http://www.accountablecarefacts.org/topten/what-is-anaccountable-care-organization-aco-1, accessed 2/16/2014).
ACCREDITATION
A standardized program for evaluating healthcare organizations to ensure a specified level of quality, as defined by a set of national industry standards. Organizations that meet accreditation standards receive an official authorization or approval of their services. Accreditation entails a voluntary survey process that
assesses the extent of a healthcare organization’s compliance with the standards for the purpose of improving the systems and processes of care (performance) and, in so doing, improving client outcomes.
ACTIONABLE TORT
A legal duty, imposed by statute or otherwise, owing by defendant to the one
injured.
ACTIVE LISTENING
A structured way of communication and interacting in which one is actively engaged with the speaker primarily through focused attention and suspension
of one’s own frame of reference, biases, distractions and judgment. A communication technique that improves personal relationships, fosters
understanding, and facilitates cooperation and collaboration and eliminates conflict.
ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING
ADLS
Routine activities an individual tends to do every day for self-care and normal living. These include eating, bathing, grooming, dressing, toileting, transferring
(such as walking, bed to chair) and continence. Assessment of an individual’s ability to perform these ADLs is important for determining an individual’s ability,
independence, disability or limitations. This assessment determines the type of long-term care and benefit coverage the individual needs. care may include placement in a nursing home, skilled care facility or home care services. Benefit coverage may include Medicare, Medicaid or long-term care insurance.
ACTIVITY LIMITATIONS
Difficulties an individual may have in executing activities. An activity limitation
may range from a slight to a severe deviation in terms of quality or quantity in executing the activity in a manner or to the extent that is expected of people
without the health condition.
ACTUAL VALUE
Also referred to as real value. Measures the worth one derives from using or consuming a good, product, service or an item, and represents the utility of the good, product, service, or item.
ACTUARIAL STUDY
Statistical analysis of a population based on its utilization of healthcare services
and demographic trends of the population. Results used to estimate healthcare
plan premiums or costs.
ACTUARY
A trained insurance professional who specializes in determining policy rates,
calculating premiums, and conducting statistical studies.
ACUITY
Complexity and severity of the client’s health/medical condition.
ACUTE CARE
The acute care delivery systems focus on treating sudden and acute episodes of illness such as medical and surgical management or emergency treatment,
which otherwise cannot be taken care of in a less intense care setting. Acute care settings may include hospitals, acute rehabilitation centers, emergency care,
transitional hospitals, and follow-up long-term disease management settings.
ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
ADA AMENDMENTS ACT
ADAAA
Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008
ADL
Activities of Daily Living. Routine activities carried out for personal hygiene and health and for operating a household. ADLs include feeding, bathing, showering,
dressing, getting in or out of bed or a chair, and using the toilet.
ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR
The effectiveness and degree to which an individual meets standards of self sufficiency and social responsibility for his/her age-related cultural group.
ADHERENCE
“The extent to which a person’s behaviour–taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes, corresponds with agreed recommendations
[e.g., health regimen] from a health care provider” (Sabate, 2003).
ADHESIVE CONTRACT
A contract between two parties where one party with stronger bargaining power sets the terms and conditions and the other party, which is the weaker of the two with little to no ability to negotiate, must adhere to the contract and is placed in
a “take it or leave it” position (Cornell University Law School, Legal Information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/adhesion_contract_contract_ of_adhesion, accessed 6/4/2015).
ADJUSTED CLINICAL GROUP®
(ACG) SYSTEM:
Developed by the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, this system clusters clients into homogenous groups (102 discrete groups) based on a unique approach to measuring morbidity to ultimately improve accuracy and fairness in evaluating healthcare provider performance, identifying clients at high risk,
forecasting healthcare utilization, and setting equitable payment structure and rates for the providers of care. The System accounts for the burden of morbidity
in a client population based on disease patterns, age, and gender and relies on the diagnostic and/or pharmaceutical code information found in insurance claims or other computerized client health records (The Johns Hopkins University, 2010, retrieved from http://www.acg.jhsph.org/index.phpoption=com_content&vie
w=article&id=46&Itemid=366
ADJUSTER
A person who handles claims (also referred to as Claims Service Representative).
ADLS
See activities of daily living.
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
That branch of public law that deals with the various organizations of federal,
state, and local governments which prescribes in detail the manner of their
activities.