Explore topic-wise fullforms in Healthcare

INFO: Full form for HAWK-I is Healthy and Well Kids In Iowa in Healthcare category

INFO: Full form for HANYS is Healthcare Association of New York State in Healthcare category

INFO: Full form for GME is Graduate Medical Education in Healthcare category
GME also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) (Pub.L. 93–406, 88 Stat. 829, enacted September 2, 1974, codified in part at 29 U.S.C. ch. 18) is a federal United States tax and labor law that establishes minimum standards for pension plans in private industry. It contains rules on the federal income tax effects of transactions associated with employee benefit plans. ERISA was enacted to protect the interests of employee benefit plan participants and their beneficiaries by:

ERISA is sometimes used to refer to the full body of laws that regulate employee benefit plans, which are mainly in the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA itself.

Responsibility for interpretation and enforcement of ERISA is divided among the Department of Labor, the Department of the Treasury (particularly the Internal Revenue Service), and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

The Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is a widely used set of performance measures in the managed care industry, developed and maintained by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

HEDIS was designed to allow consumers to compare health plan performance to other plans and to national or regional benchmarks. Although not originally intended for trending, HEDIS results are increasingly used to track year-to-year performance. HEDIS is one component of NCQA's accreditation process, although some plans submit HEDIS data without seeking accreditation. An incentive for many health plans to collect HEDIS data is a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirement that health maintenance organizations (HMOs) submit Medicare HEDIS data in order to provide HMO services for Medicare enrollees under a program called Medicare Advantage.

HEDIS was originally titled the "HMO Employer Data and Information Set" as of version 1.0 of 1991. In 1993, Version 2.0 of HEDIS was known as the "Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set". Version 3.0 of HEDIS was released in 1997. In July 2007, NCQA announced that the meaning of "HEDIS" would be changed to "Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set."

In current usage, the "reporting year" after the term "HEDIS" is one year following the year reflected in the data; for example, the "HEDIS 2009" reports, available in June 2009, contain analyses of data collected from "measurement year" January–December 2008.

INFO: Full form for GPCI is Geographic Practice Cost Index in Healthcare category
GPCI also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

INFO: Full form for HIPCs is Health Insurance Purchasing Cooperatives in Healthcare category

INFO: Full form for HHA is Home Health Agency in Healthcare category
HHA also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

INFO: Full form for IMGMA is Iowa Medical Group Management Association in Healthcare category

The Healthcare Financial Management Association is a professional membership organization that helps healthcare finance management executives and professionals navigate the complexities of the healthcare industry. It is based in Westchester, Cook County, Illinois. Founded on September 30, 1946, the organization serves more than 75,000 members, which include chief financial officers, controllers, and accountants.

America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) is an American political advocacy / trade association of health insurance companies known for certification of Medicare Advantage and other health plans governed by CMS: Medicare Core Quality Measures.

INFO: Full form for IOMA is Iowa Osteopathic Medical Association in Healthcare category
IOMA also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

INFO: Full form for IHHCC is Iowa Hospital Home Care Council in Healthcare category

INFO: Full form for IONL is Iowa Organization of Nurse Leaders in Healthcare category
IONL also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

INFO: Full form for IDIA is Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals in Healthcare category
IDIA also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

Iowa Foundation for Medical Care (IFMC) is a taxpayer-funded, non-profit organization which provides services in health care quality improvement and medical information management. IFMC is based in West Des Moines, Iowa and has offices in Illinois, Maryland and Oklahoma. Annual revenues are approximately US$100 million with nearly 800 employees. The company holds the Medicare Quality Improvement Organizations (QIO) contracts for Iowa and Illinois. As of 2007, IFMC was by far the largest of the 53 taxpayer-funded QIOs in the United States.

IFMC's nearly 800 employees and associates strive to carry out the company's mission: "We optimize the quality of medical care and health through collaborative relationships, education, and health information management."

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a legislative branch government agency that provides auditing, evaluation, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the supreme audit institution of the federal government of the United States. It identifies its core "mission values" as: accountability, integrity, and reliability. It is also known as the "congressional watchdog".

A patient safety organization (PSO) is a group, institution, or association that improves medical care by reducing medical errors. Common functions of patient safety organizations are data collection and analysis, reporting, education, funding, and advocacy.

In the 1990s, reports in several countries revealed a staggering number of patient injuries and deaths each year due to avoidable errors and deficiencies in health care, among them adverse events and complications arising from poor infection control. In the United States, a 1999 report from the Institute of Medicine called for a broad national effort to prevent these events, including the establishment of patient safety centers, expanded reporting of adverse events, and development of safety programs in health care organizations. Although many PSOs are funded and run by governments, others have sprung from private entities such as industry, professional, and consumer groups.

INFO: Full form for SMDA is Safe Medical Devices Act (1990) in Healthcare category
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Public health nursing, also known as community health nursing is a nursing specialty focused on public health. The term was coined by Lillian Wald of the Henry Street Settlement, or, Public health nurses (PHNs) or community health nurses "integrate community involvement and knowledge about the entire population with personal, clinical understandings of the health and illness experiences of individuals and families within the population." Public health nursing in the United States traces back to a nurse named Lillian Wald who, in 1893, established the Henry Street Settlement in New York City and coined the expression "public health nurse".A Public or Community Health Nurse is expected to comply with the duties and limitations of the American Nurse Association (ANA) publication Public Health Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice.

Public health nurses work within communities and focus on different areas to improve the overall health of the people within that community. Some areas of employment for public health nurses are school districts, county or state health departments, and departments of correction. The public health nurse looks for areas of concern within the community and assesses and plans ways through which the concerns can be resolved or minimized. Some health concerns a public health nurse may work on are infection control, health maintenance, health coaching, as well as home care visits for welfare and to provide care to certain members of the community who may need it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a leading health indicator in preventing morbidity and mortality. Clinical preventative services such as immunizations and routine screenings for colorectal cancer, blood pressure control and diabetes management are key to improving the Nation’s health.

Public health nursing focuses on betterment of the community as a whole. Public health nursing is used to promote and protect the population through knowledge of caring for patients at the bedside, in the community, and through social aspects. The public health nurse must assess the needs of the population and limitations to care. Interventions then must be planned and put into place to produce the best possible outcome for the patient. The community health nurse then evaluates effectiveness of the plan while making changes. In combination, this allows the community health nurse to incorporate the community with the health of the patient.

INFO: Full form for EOMB is Explanation of Medicare Benefits in Healthcare category
EOMB also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

INFO: Full form for PPRC is Physician Payment Review Commission in Healthcare category
PPRC also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program is a system of "managed competition" through which employee health benefits are provided to civilian government employees and annuitants of the United States government. The government contributes 72% of the weighted average premium of all plans, not to exceed 75% of the premium for any one plan (calculated separately for individual and family coverage).

The FEHB program allows some insurance companies, employee associations, and labor unions to market health insurance plans to governmental employees. The program is administered by the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

INFO: Full form for EPSDT is Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment Program in Healthcare category
EPSDT also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

The Iowa Communications Network (ICN) is a state-administered fiber optics network designed to provide equal access to Iowans with modern telecommunication resources.

An electronic health record (EHR) is the systematized collection of patient and population electronically stored health information in a digital format. These records can be shared across different health care settings. Records are shared through network-connected, enterprise-wide information systems or other information networks and exchanges. EHRs may include a range of data, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal statistics like age and weight, and billing information.

For several decades, electronic health records (EHRs) have been touted as key to increasing of quality care. Electronic health records are used for other reasons than charting for patients, today, providers are using data from patient records to improve quality outcomes through their care management programs. EHR combines all patients demographics into a large pool, and uses this information to assist with the creation of “new treatments or innovation in healthcare delivery” which overall improves the goals in healthcare. Combining multiple types of clinical data from the system's health records has helped clinicians identify and stratify chronically ill patients. EHR can improve quality care by using the data and analytics to prevent hospitalizations among high-risk patients.

EHR systems are designed to store data accurately and to capture the state of a patient across time. It eliminates the need to track down a patient's previous paper medical records and assists in ensuring data is up-to-date, accurate and legible. It also allows open communication between the patient and the provider, while providing “privacy and security.” It can reduce risk of data replication as there is only one modifiable file, which means the file is more likely up to date and decreases risk of lost paperwork and is cost efficient. Due to the digital information being searchable and in a single file, EMRs (electronic medical records) are more effective when extracting medical data for the examination of possible trends and long term changes in a patient. Population-based studies of medical records may also be facilitated by the widespread adoption of EHRs and EMRs.

INFO: Full form for ECF is Extended Care Facility in Healthcare category
ECF also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

The Minimum Data Set (MDS) is part of the U.S. federally mandated process for clinical assessment of all residents in Medicare or Medicaid certified nursing homes and non-critical access hospitals with Medicare swing bed agreements. (The term "swing bed" refers to the Social Security Act's authorizing small, rural hospitals to use their beds in both an acute care and Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) capacity, as needed.) This process provides a comprehensive assessment of each resident's functional capabilities and helps nursing home and SNF staff identify health problems.

Resource Utilization Groups (RUG) are part of this process, and provide the foundation upon which a resident's individual care plan is formulated. MDS assessment forms are completed for all residents in certified nursing homes, including SNFs, regardless of source of payment for the individual resident. MDS assessments are required for residents on admission to the nursing facility and then periodically, within specific guidelines and time frames. Participants in the assessment process are health care professionals and direct care staff such as Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses, Therapists, Social Services, Activities and Dietary staff employed by the nursing home. MDS information is transmitted electronically by nursing homes to the MDS database in their respective states. MDS information from the state databases is captured into the national MDS database at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Sections of MDS (Minimum Data Set):

The MDS is updated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Specific coding regulations in completing the MDS can be found in the Resident Assessment Instrument User’s Guide. Versions of the Minimum Data Set has been used or is being utilized in other countries.

In health insurance in the United States, a preferred provider organization (PPO), sometimes referred to as a participating provider organization or preferred provider option, is a managed care organization of medical doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers who have agreed with an insurer or a third-party administrator to provide health care at reduced rates to the top insurer's or administrator's clients.

INFO: Full form for INA is Iowa Nurses Association in Healthcare category
INA also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination.: 12, 21  The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, and retaliation for reporting, participating in, and/or opposing a discriminatory practice.

The Commission also mediates and settles thousands of discrimination complaints each year prior to their investigation. The EEOC is also empowered to file civil discrimination suits against employers on behalf of alleged victims and to adjudicate claims of discrimination brought against federal agencies.

INFO: Full form for ER/ED is Emergency Room/emergency Department in Healthcare category

INFO: Full form for GAF is Geographic Adjustment Factor in Healthcare category
GAF also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

INFO: Full form for DHPC is Direct Healthcare Professional Communication in Healthcare category
DHPC also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

INFO: Full form for FFWU is Full Fever Work-up in Healthcare category

Poverty in the United States of America refers to people who lack sufficient income or material possessions for their needs. Although the US is a relatively wealthy country by international standards, poverty has consistently been present throughout the United States, along with efforts to alleviate it, from New Deal-era legislation during the Great Depression to the national War on Poverty in the 1960s to poverty alleviation efforts during the 2008 Great Recession.

The U.S. federal government uses two measures to measure poverty: the poverty thresholds set by the U.S. Census Bureau, used for statistical purposes, and the poverty guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, which are used for administrative purposes. Poverty thresholds, which recognize poverty as a lack of those goods and services which are commonly taken for granted by members of mainstream society, consist of income levels. On the other hand, poverty guidelines are simpler guidelines that are used to determine eligibility for federal programs such as Head Start and food stamps.

The 2020 assessment by the U.S. Census Bureau showed the percentage of Americans living in poverty for 2019 (before the pandemic) had fallen to some of lowest levels ever recorded due to the record-long economic growth period. However, between May and October 2020, some eight million people were put into poverty due to the economic effects of the pandemic lockdowns and the ending of funds from the CARES Act.

Outpatient surgery, also known as ambulatory surgery, day surgery, day case surgery, or same-day surgery, is surgery that does not require an overnight hospital stay. The term “outpatient” arises from the fact that surgery patients may enter and leave the facility on the same day. The advantages of outpatient surgery over inpatient surgery include greater convenience and reduced costs.: 24–26 

Outpatient surgery may occur in an inpatient facility, in a self-contained unit within a hospital (also known as a hospital outpatient department), in a freestanding self-contained unit (also known as an ambulatory surgery center), or in a physician's office-based unit.: 61 Between the late 20th century and early 21st century, outpatient surgery has grown in popularity in many countries.: 22 In the United States, 65% of surgeries at hospitals in 2012 were conducted on an outpatient basis, compared with 54% in 1992.

Studies have shown that outpatient surgery is as safe as or safer than inpatient surgery. For instance, complication rates and post-surgical hospitalization or readmission rates are comparable, and pain and infection rates are lower after outpatient surgery than inpatient surgery.: 24 Nevertheless, articles in the newsmedia (such as some discussing the 2014 death of Joan Rivers after an outpatient procedure) have questioned the safety of outpatient surgery performed at ambulatory surgery centers.

INFO: Full form for BCBSI is Blue Cross/blue Shield of Iowa in Healthcare category
BCBSI also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

INFO: Full form for BIPA is Benefits Improvement & Protection Act of 2000 in Healthcare category
BIPA also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

INFO: Full form for ALOS is Average Length of Stay in Healthcare category
ALOS also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

INFO: Full form for AONE is American Organization of Nurse Executives in Healthcare category

A core-based statistical area (CBSA) is a U.S. geographic area defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that consists of one or more counties (or equivalents) anchored by an urban center of at least 10,000 people plus adjacent counties that are socioeconomically tied to the urban center by commuting. Areas defined on the basis of these standards applied to Census 2000 data were announced by OMB in June 2003. These standards are used to replace the definitions of metropolitan areas that were defined in 1990. The OMB released new standards based on the 2010 Census on July 15, 2015.

INFO: Full form for AMCRA is American Medical Care and Review Association in Healthcare category

Critical incident stress management (CISM) is an adaptive, short-term psychological helping-process that focuses solely on an immediate and identifiable problem. It can include pre-incident preparedness to acute crisis management to post-crisis follow-up. Its purpose is to enable people to return to their daily routine more quickly and with less likelihood of experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Evidence-based reviews, however, have concluded that CISM is ineffective for primary trauma victims, and should only be used for secondary victims, such as responding emergency services personnel. CISM was never intended to treat primary victims of trauma.

INFO: Full form for APR-DRG is All Payer Refined Diagnostic Related Group in Healthcare category

INFO: Full form for CMP is Competitive Medical Plan in Healthcare category
CMP also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and Alaska Natives, and administering and managing over 55,700,000 acres (225,000 km2) of land held in trust by the U.S. federal government for Indian Tribes. It renders services to roughly 2 million indigenous Americans across 574 federally recognized tribes. The BIA is governed by a director and overseen by the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, who answers to the Secretary of the Interior.

The BIA works with tribal governments to help administer law enforcement and justice; promote development in agriculture, infrastructure, and the economy; enhance tribal governance; manage natural resources; and generally advance the quality of life in tribal communities. Educational services are provided by Bureau of Indian Education—the only other agency under the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs—while health care is the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through its Indian Health Service.

The BIA is one of the oldest federal agencies in the U.S., with roots tracing back to the Committee on Indian Affairs established by Congress in 1775. First headed by Benjamin Franklin, the committee oversaw trade and treaty relations with various indigenous peoples, until the establishment of the Bureau of Indian Affairs by Secretary of War John C. Calhoun in 1824. The BIA gained statutory authority in 1832, and in 1849 was transferred to the newly created Department of the Interior. Until the formal adoption of its current name in 1947, the BIA was variably known as the Indian office, the Indian bureau, the Indian department, and the Indian Service.

The BIA's mission and mandate historically reflected the U.S. government's prevailing policy of forced assimilation of native peoples and their land; beginning with the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, the BIA has increasingly emphasized tribal self-determination and peer-to-peer relationships between tribal governments and federal government.

Between 1824 and 1977, the BIA was led by a total of 42 commissioners, of whom six were of indigenous descent. Since the creation of the position of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs in 1977, all twelve occupants up to the present day have been indigenous, including Alaskan Native Tara Sweeney, appointed in 2018. As of 2020, the majority of BIA employees are American Indian or Alaska Native, the most at any time in the agency's history.

Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection a person may not notice any symptoms, or may experience a brief period of influenza-like illness. Typically, this is followed by a prolonged period with no symptoms. If the infection progresses, it interferes more with the immune system, increasing the risk of developing common infections such as tuberculosis, as well as other opportunistic infections, and tumors which are otherwise rare in people who have normal immune function. These late symptoms of infection are referred to as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This stage is often also associated with unintended weight loss.

HIV is spread primarily by unprotected sex (including anal and oral sex), contaminated blood transfusions, hypodermic needles, and from mother to child during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding. Some bodily fluids, such as saliva, sweat and tears, do not transmit the virus.

Methods of prevention include safe sex, needle exchange programs, treating those who are infected, as well as both pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. Disease in a baby can often be prevented by giving both the mother and child antiretroviral medication.

Known as the Berlin Patient and the London Patient, two individuals have been reported cured of AIDS and the NIH and Gates Foundation pledged $200 million focused on developing a global cure for AIDS. While there is not yet a broadly available cure or vaccine, antiretroviral treatment can slow the course of the disease and may lead to a near-normal life expectancy. Treatment is recommended as soon as the diagnosis is made. Without treatment, the average survival time after infection is 11 years.

In 2020, about 37 million people worldwide were living with HIV and 680,000 deaths had occurred in that year. An estimated 20.6 million of these live in eastern and southern Africa. Between the time that AIDS was identified (in the early 1980s) and 2020, the disease has caused an estimated 36 million deaths worldwide. HIV/AIDS is considered a pandemic—a disease outbreak which is present over a large area and is actively spreading.

HIV made the jump from other primates to humans in west-central Africa in the early-to-mid 20th century. AIDS was first recognized by the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1981 and its cause—HIV infection—was identified in the early part of the decade.

HIV/AIDS has had a large impact on society, both as an illness and as a source of discrimination. The disease also has large economic impacts. There are many misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, such as the belief that it can be transmitted by casual non-sexual contact. The disease has become subject to many controversies involving religion, including the Catholic Church's position not to support condom use as prevention. It has attracted international medical and political attention as well as large-scale funding since it was identified in the 1980s.

INFO: Full form for CHAMPUS is Civilian Health and Medical Program of The Uniformed Services in Healthcare category
CHAMPUS also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.

INFO: Full form for BBRA is Balanced Budget Relief Act of 1999 in Healthcare category
BBRA also has other full forms in other categories mentioned below.