Health Care Terms

Health Care Terms

Health care terms are useful for people involved in the medical field as well as people who want to know more about medicine. Medical terminology is the basis of communication used by a wide range of health care providers from nurses to medical billers. Medical terminology requires special training when planning a career in the medical field. There is a basic requirement even for people involved with billing and insurance claims processing.

Using Health Care Terms in Hospitals and Medical Offices

In the medical field here can be no justification for not knowing medical terminology. For example, if a nurse cannot read the doctors shorthand writing because she cannot understand medical terminology, she is essentially putting the patient at risk. Using medical terminology save time and reduce misunderstandings among health care professionals.

Acute

In medicine and health care the "term acute refers to short -term medical care provided to a patient with an immediate need for care" (Austin & Wetle, 2008, p. 201). An Emergency Room would be an example of "Care given for health conditions that happen suddenly and last for a finite period of time" (Pointer, Williams, Isaacs, & Knickman, 2007, p. 343).

Allopathic medicine

Allopathic medicine is "a process of treating disease by using standard treatments, such as surgery and drugs" (Austin & Wetle, 2008 p, 201). Allopathic physicians are "a medical designation for physicians who graduate from allopathic schools of medicine and focus on treating disease. Also known as MDs" (Pointer, Williams, Isaacs, & Knickman, 2007, p. 343).

Affordable Health Care Act of 2010

"In March 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. The goal is to increase access to, quality, affordable health care for uninsured individuals and their families. Over the next several years, health insurance will be extended to approximately 32 million Americans" (www.togetherrxaccess.org, 2012, p. 1). In September 2010, several laws went into effect that include; providing access to insurance for individuals with pre-existing conditions, Extending coverage for young adults, providing free preventative care, ending lifetime, and most annual limits to care.

Behavioral Health

"The Genetic makeup and brain chemistry can create conditions that result in extreme behaviors, such as autism or schizophrenia" (www.humanillness.com, 2012, p. 1). If a person has a learning disability, chronic illness, or developmental disorder, this can also poses special psychological challenges (www.humanillness.com, 2012). Many other conditions may contribute to the emotional well-being of a person, for example "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder an anxiety disorder that can after you have been through a traumatic event" (www.ptsd.va.gov, 2012, p. 1). Stress is another major factor closely linked to behavioral and emotional health.

Chronic

Chronic is a "condition that is long lasting or never changing" (Pointer, Williams, Isaacs, & Knickman, 2007, p. 345). There are many forms of chronic illnesses, such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, diabetes, or asthma. Some patients can control a chronic illness with medication and regular visits to their primary care physician, but there are patients who do require 24- hour home health care, assisted living, or hospice if necessary.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

"The term complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) encompasses a wide array of health practices, products, and therapies that are distinct from practices, products, and therapies used in conventional or allopathic medicine. Some forms of CAM, such as traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine, have been practiced for centuries, whereas others, such as electrotherapy, are more recent in origin" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Food and Drug Administration 2006, p. 1).

"The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) defines CAM "as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and product that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Food and Drug Administration, 2006, p. 2).

Diagnosis-related group

"Diagnosis related group (DRG) is a patient classification system adopted on the basis of diagnosis consisting of distinct groupings. It is a scheme that provides a means for relating the type of patients a hospital treats with the costs incurred by the hospital. DRG are based upon the patient's principal diagnosis, ICD diagnoses, gender, age, sex, treatment procedure, discharge status, and the presence of complications or comorbidities" (www.uslegal.com, 2001-2012).

Electronic medical record

An electronic medical record is an "electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. Included in this information are patient demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports. The EHR automates and streamlines the clinician's workflow" (www.himss.org, 2012).

Epidemiology

Epidemiology is "the study of the nature, cause, control, and determinants of the frequency of disease, disability, and death of human populations. Also the study of the history of a disease and its distribution throughout society" (public health) (Austin & Wetle, 2008, p. 203). "For example, the discovery of the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer was based on comparisons of lung cancer rates in smokers and non-smokers. The rates of lung cancer are much higher in smokers than in non-smokers"(www .pmep.cce.cornell.edu, 1993, p.1).

Evidence-based

Evidence-based medicine is "a medical movement that bases care decisions for individual patients on evidence from clinical studies" (Pointer, Williams, Isaacs, & Knickman, 2007, p. 347). "The basic principle of Evidence -based medicine is that we should treat where there is evidence of no benefit and not treat where there is evidence of no benefit" (www.whatisseries.co.uk, 2009, p .1). "Evidence -based medicine is being applied not only to pharmaceutical treatments but also increasingly to surgical interventions, diagnostic tests and medical devices"