GLOSSARY
Unless otherwise noted, the words, terms, and phrases defined in this glossary are taken from this book and the lead authors’ experience and knowledge.
Entries based on these primary sources are noted as follows:
• American Medical Informatics Association, Glossary of Acronyms and Terms Commonly Used in Informatics (https://www.amia.org/glossary)
Noted as AMIA.
• American Telemedicine Association, Telemedicine Glossary (http://thesource.americantelemed.org/resources/telemedicine-glossary)
Noted as ATA.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology, Glossary of Key Information Security Terms (http://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=913810)
Noted as NIST.
For all other sources, a URL is provided at the end of the entry.
802.11x A family of IEEE standards covering wireless technology.
academic health center Usually part of a major university, a hospital or hospitals co-located with medical, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, and many other medical training programs, along with a significant medical research infrastructure.
access control The process of granting or denying specific requests to: 1) obtain and use information and related information processing services; and 2) enter specific physical facilities (e.g., federal buildings, military establishments, border crossing entrances). (Source: NIST.)
accountable-care organization (ACO) A healthcare organization characterized by a payment and care delivery model that seeks to tie provider reimbursements to quality metrics and reductions in the total cost of care for an assigned population of patients. (Source: ATA.)
acute care The diagnosis and treatment of early or presenting stages of a disease or illness whose treatment is usually limited to a defined period of time. Presenting symptoms of acute illnesses often appear suddenly and can be severe. Pneumonia is an example of a disease that may require acute care as a patient becomes feverish and short of breath, requiring oxygen or even mechanical ventilation. Pneumonia is treated with antibiotics and usually resolves within a week or two. See also chronic care.
Affordable Care Act (ACA) See Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
A federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with a mission to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of healthcare for all Americans. Formerly known as the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, AHRQ supports research and technology assessment, including implementations of health information technology.
All of Us Research Program A cohort program within the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) whose goal is to enroll 1 million Americans in a study of their genetic and genomic information with patient healthcare and lifestyle data using the EHR and mobile applications and sensors.
alternative payment model (APM) A payment approach that gives added incentive payments to provide high-quality and cost-efficient care. APMs can apply to a specific clinical condition, a care episode, or a population. (Source: CMS, https://qpp.cms.gov/apms/overview/.)
ambulatory care centers Also known as outpatient care centers. Ambulatory care centers of medical group practices have long been the mainstay for primary care services where most patients go to see their primary care and specialty physicians for routine care.
American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)
An organization whose mission is to serve the public and the medical profession by improving the quality of healthcare through setting professional standards for lifelong certification in partnership with Member Boards.
American Health Care Act (AHCA) Introduced to Congress as H.R. 1275 on March 1, 2017, the stated intention of which is to eliminate the individual and employer health coverage mandates under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to expand beyond that Act the choices in obtaining and financing affordable health insurance coverage, and for other purposes. On May 4, 2017, the United States House of Representatives voted to pass the AHCA. It then moved to the Senate and on June 22, 2017, the Senate released the draft version of the Act entitled the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017. See Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017.
American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
A worldwide association of 103,000 health information management (HIM) professionals, companies, and academic institutions with HIM programs. AHIMA aims to advance the HIM profession in an increasingly electronic and global environment through leadership in advocacy, education, certification, and lifelong learning. Since March 2013, they have administered the exam series to candidates pursuing Certified Healthcare Technology Specialist (CHTS) certification.
HIM professionals assist clinicians and healthcare organizations with diagnosis and treatment coding, regulatory compliance, information governance, and other important tasks. Healthcare IT technicians and professionals work closely with HIM professionals in many areas including privacy and security, documentation in electronic health records, reimbursement management, and others.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) In 2009, the Obama Administration signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) or Stimulus Package into law. It contains billions of dollars in funding for science, engineering research and infrastructure, as well as funding for education, social sciences, and the arts. Its greatest relevance to informatics is its major investment in the implementation of electronic health records and support for comparative effectiveness research. (Source: AMIA.)
application programming interface (API) An interface provided by a program that makes it possible for other computer programs to interact with it. This interface is defined by such things as data types, variables, routines, etc.
application service provider (ASP) Hosts a variety of applications on a central server. For a fee, customers can access the applications over secure Internet connections or a private network. This means that they do not need to purchase, install, or maintain the software themselves; instead they rent the applications they need from the ASP. New releases, such as software upgrades, are generally included in the price. (Source: ATA.)
assurance Grounds for confidence that the other four security goals (integrity, availability, confidentiality, and accountability) have been adequately met by a specific implementation. “Adequately met” includes 1) functionality that performs correctly, 2) sufficient protection against unintentional errors (by users or software), and 3) sufficient resistance to intentional penetration or by-pass. (Source: NIST.)
audit log A chronological record of system activities. Includes records of system accesses and operations performed in a given period. (Source: NIST.)
authentication A method of verifying the identity of a person sending or receiving information using passwords, keys, and other automated identifiers.
Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 This Act (H.R. 1628) was made public on June 22, 2017. It distinguishes itself from the American Health Care Act of 2017 in that it eliminates the individual mandate, dispensing insurance subsidies via an income-based system, and makes cuts to Federal subsidies for Medicaid over time. In addition, it guarantees certain types of coverage for individuals with preexisting conditions. At the time of this writing, the vote in the Senate is expected soon.
big data As a sweeping generalization, there are two definitions of big data: a narrower definition and a broader definition. The narrower definition of big data focuses on data tasks that conventional structured relational databases cannot easily handle. This narrower definition, which is generally favored by the technical community, frequently includes some discussion of Hadoop, MapReduce, NoSQL, or similar technologies that can be employed to solve the problem of making large volumes of unstructured data useful for analytical purposes. The broader definition of big data, favored by the press and general public, encompasses data-intensive efforts irrespective of whether the data are structured or not. (Source: HIMSS, www.himss.org/part-1-what-big-data.)
bioinformatics The application of biomedical informatics methods and techniques to the study of how information is represented and transmitted in biological systems, with an emphasis on molecular biology, genomics, and proteomics. (Source: AMIA.)
bits per second (bps) Number of electronic data bits conveyed or processed per unit of time. (Source: ATA.)
block grant A way of allocating money for state and local governments to use in health programs.
Bluetooth wireless An industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs) that provides the means to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers, digital cameras, and video game consoles over a secure, globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency. The specifications are developed and licensed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (www.bluetooth.com/Pages/about-bluetooth-sig.aspx). (Source: ATA.)
Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative This initiative is comprised of four broadly defined models of care, which link payments for the multiple services beneficiaries receive during an episode of care. Under the initiative, organizations enter into payment arrangements that include financial and performance accountability for episodes of care. These models may lead to higher quality and more coordinated care at a lower cost to Medicare. (Source: https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/bundled-payments/.)
bundled payment model Providers are reimbursed together for the entire cost of an “episode of care.” An example is a hip replacement where the lab tests and other services are all paid for in the same lump sum—whether those tests or services are conducted once, twice, or five times. This circumstance creates an incentive to deliver better care that makes patients healthier, reduces duplicate or redundant unnecessary services, and lowers readmission rates.
business associate (BA) A third party that uses, discloses, maintains, or transmits protected health information on behalf of a covered entity (an entity that must comply with HIPAA regulations) or on behalf of another BA (e.g., BA subcontractor). Examples of BAs include billing agencies, electronic health record (EHR) vendors, third-party administrators, health information organizations (HIOs), and accountable-care organizations (ACOs).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
A U.S. government agency whose mission is to protect America from health, safety, and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
A federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that provides healthcare coverage to approximately 100 million Americans by administering the Medicare program, the Health Insurance Marketplace, and by working in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Through regulation, incentive programs, and other activities, CMS aims to achieve a high-quality healthcare system, while also aiming for better care at lower costs and improved health.
certification Most healthcare professions have both certifying and accrediting bodies. Individuals receive certification indicating they possess the necessary education, training, and experience to practice in their specialty. Certification of individuals often requires passing a board exam that is maintained and administered by a board of experts. Training programs receive accreditation indicating that the design and operation of the training program meets the standards of the profession. Most certifying and accrediting bodies are independent, nonprofit organizations formed by professional organizations to ensure impartiality and limit any potential or perceived conflicts of interest. For the purposes of healthcare IT, the certifying organizations are HIMSS for CAHIMS and AHIMA for the CHTS series.
Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) A voluntary, private sector organization launched in 2004 to certify health information technology products such as electronic health records and the networks over which they interoperate. CCHIT, the original certifying body, is now one of several organizations the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has authorized to certify electronic health record technology and selected as an ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ATCBs). (Source: AMIA.)
Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS) exam The certification exam offered by HIMSS to candidates at or near the beginning of their careers in healthcare IT to demonstrate foundational professional knowledge in healthcare information and management systems to potential and current employers. The exam content covers organizational and technology environments in healthcare, healthcare information and systems management (including analysis; design; selection, implementation, support, and maintenance; testing and evaluation; and privacy and security), and support of organizational management and leadership.
Certified Healthcare Technology Specialist (CHTS) exams The CHTS exams assess the competency of individuals seeking to demonstrate proficiency in certain healthcare IT workforce roles integral to the implementation and management of electronic health information. The CHTS exams assess the competency of healthcare IT professionals to: assess workflows, select hardware and software, work with vendors, install and test systems, diagnose IT problems, and train practice staff on systems. (Source: AHIMA, www.ahima.org/certification/chts.)
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Provides health coverage to eligible children, through both Medicaid and separate CHIP programs. CHIP is administered by states, according to federal requirements. The program is funded jointly by states and the federal government.
chronic care The diagnosis and treatment of illnesses that can span years or decades of life. Chronic diseases usually have symptoms that often present very gradually and that are not severe. Diabetes is an example of a chronic illness that requires chronic care. Patients require education about diabetes so they can manage their blood sugar level with a wide range of medications and dietary modifications. Patients with diabetes require ongoing diabetic prescriptions and routine screenings for retinal, kidney, and heart diseases, to name a few. See also acute care.
client-server model A model of distributed computing where a client sends service requests to a server and receives responses from a server.
clinical informatics The application of biomedical informatics methods and techniques, including information technology, to deliver healthcare services. Clinical informatics includes a wide range of topics ranging from clinical decision support to clinical documentation to provider order entry systems, and from system design to system implementation and adoption issues. (Source: AMIA.)
clinical practice guidelines (evidence guidelines) Statements that include recommendations intended to optimize patient care that are informed by a systematic review of evidence and an assessment of the benefits and harms of alternative care options. (Source: National Academy Press, https://www.nap.edu/read/13058/chapter/3#28.)
clinical research informatics (CRI) Involves the application of biomedical informatics methods and techniques in the discovery and management of new knowledge relating to health and disease. It includes management of information related to clinical trials, community-based research, and also involves informatics related to research use of clinical data. Clinical research informatics and translational bioinformatics are the primary domains related to informatics activities to support translational research, and thus clinical research informatics lies at the intersection between bioinformatics and clinical informatics. (Source: AMIA.)
cloud computing A model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. (Source: NIST, SP 800-145.)
communication management (plan/strategies) Includes creating awareness, building knowledge, managing expectations, motivating end users, and building proficiency. With a commitment to the development and execution of communications strategies around the continued implementation, adoption, and user optimization of emerging healthcare IT, higher levels of ownership and commitment by professionals will help to insure the success of the U.S. healthcare reform movement in years to come.
community care Focuses on the health of a community or population rather than individuals. Organizations that focus on community health may be funded by government or private charities and vary widely in the populations they focus on and in their missions.
computer-based patient record (CPR) An electronic form of individual patient information designed to provide access to complete and accurate patient data. (Source: ATA.)
computer-physician order entry (CPOE) A clinical information system that allows clinicians to record patient-specific orders (medications, tests, treatments, management plans, and the like) for communication to other patient care team members and to other information systems. Sometimes called provider order entry or practitioner order entry. (Source: AMIA.)
computerized decision support system (CDSS) also clinical decision support system System (usually electronically based and interactive) that provides clinicians, staff, patients, and other individuals with knowledge and person-specific information, intelligently filtered and presented at appropriate times, to enhance health and healthcare. (Source: AHRQ, http://healthit.ahrq.gov/images/jun09cdsreview/09_0069_ef.html.)
A computer-based system that assists a professional who must decide what actions to take in a given clinical setting, such as physicians or nurses making decisions about patient care. (Source: AMIA.)
confidentiality Ensuring that identifiable information is further shared only based on consent or as required by law.
consensus Obtaining agreement in group decisions.
consent management The capture, tagging, and storage of data electronically to enable automated processing of consent decisions. For example, should a patient choose to not disclose information regarding a diagnosis or other sensitive information, these data elements must be identified by the healthcare IT systems as such and be prevented from being shared with specified individuals.
consumer health informatics The field devoted to informatics from multiple consumer-patient views. These include patient-focused informatics, health literacy, and consumer education. The focus is on information structures and processes that empower consumers to manage their own health; for example health information literacy, consumer-friendly language, personal health records, and Internet-based strategies and resources. The shift in this view of informatics analyzes consumers’ needs for information; studies and implements methods of making information accessible to consumers; and models and integrates consumers’ preferences into health information systems. Consumer informatics involves the intersection of clinical informatics and public health informatics, standing at a crossroads with other disciplines, such as nursing informatics, public health, health promotion, health education, library science, and communication science. (Source: AMIA.)
covered entity (CE) Under HIPAA, a health plan, a healthcare clearinghouse, or a healthcare provider who transmits any health information in electronic form in connection with a HIPAA-covered transaction. (Source: AMIA.)
Cures Act (21st Century Cures Act) The Cures Act covers many topics, mostly surrounding new drug discovery and medical devices. The Act also contains provisions to improve behavioral health and substance abuse treatment and to improve patient access to new therapies, and includes new rules and provisions related to HIPAA, PHI, and the interoperability of healthcare IT.
cybersecurity The ability to protect or defend the use of cyberspace from cyber attacks. (Source: NIST.)
dental informatics The component of clinical informatics that deals with the roles and activities of individuals in the dental profession. (Source: AMIA.)
diagnostic equipment (scopes, cameras, and other peripheral devices) A piece of hardware or device not part of the central computer (e.g., digitizers, stethoscope, or camera) that can provide medical data input to or accept output from the computer. (Source: ATA.)
Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) The international standard for medical images and related information (ISO 12052). DICOM consists of a set of protocols describing how images are identified, formatted, transmitted, and displayed that is vendor-independent. It was developed by the American College of Radiology and the National Electronic Manufacturers Association (http://medical.nema.org/).
digital signature Mathematical scheme for authenticating digital messages or documents. Valid signatures give the recipient evidence that the message was created by a known sender and not altered in transit. (Source: ATA.)
distance learning The incorporation of video and audio technologies, allowing students to “attend” classes and training sessions that are being presented at a remote location. Distance learning systems are usually interactive and are a tool in the delivery of training and education to widely dispersed students, or in instances in which the instructor cannot travel to the student’s site. (Source: ATA.)
documentation error The commission of an error or omission leading to error in medical or healthcare documentation (medical or healthcare documentation is also known as charting) in an electronic or paper health record which can result in harm, or even death, to a patient.
domain controller A Microsoft term for a server whose function is to provide access to network domain resources.
Domain Name System (DNS) A distributed directory system that relates domain names to IP addresses.
Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) A protocol that provides to a host network configuration information that is required for that host to communicate on the network. An example of this information is an IP address.
e-discovery The process of compiling, storing, and securing digital information (including an individual’s PHI), such as e-mail, documents, databases, voicemail, social media, etc., in response to a request for production in a lawsuit or regulatory investigation. The federal e-discovery and evidence rules have begun to converge and overlap with the HIPAA 2016 OCR access rules.
eHealth Healthcare practice supported by electronic processes and communication. (Source: ATA.)
e-pharmacy The use of electronic information and communication technology to provide and support comprehensive pharmacy services when distance separates the participants. (Source: ATA.)
e-prescribing The electronic generation, transmission, and filling of a medical prescription, as opposed to traditional paper and faxed prescriptions. E-prescribing allows for qualified healthcare personnel to transmit a new prescription or renewal authorization to a community or mail-order pharmacy. (Source: ATA.)
EHR implementation process A six-step process to implementing electronic health records (EHRs) recommended by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC): 1) assess your practice readiness, 2) plan your approach, 3) select or upgrade to a certified EHR, 4) conduct training and implement an EHR system, 5) achieve meaningful use (or equivalent quality measure), and 6) continue quality improvement. (Source: https://www.healthit.gov.)
electronic data interchange (EDI) The sending and receiving of data directly between trading partners without paper or human intervention. (Source: ATA.)
electronic health information exchange (HIE) Allows doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other healthcare providers, and patients to appropriately access and securely share a patient’s vital medical information electronically—improving the speed, quality, safety, and cost of patient care. See also health information exchange (HIE). (Source: https://www.healthit.gov.)
electronic health record (EHR) A systematic collection of electronic health information about individual patients or populations that is recorded in digital format and capable of being shared across healthcare settings via network-connected enterprise-wide information systems and other information networks or exchanges. EHRs generally include patient demographics, medical history, medication, allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology and other medical images, vital signs, characteristics such as age and weight, and billing information. (Source: ATA.)
electronic medical record (EMR) A computerized medical record generated in an organization that delivers healthcare, such as a hospital or physician’s office. EMRs are often part of a local stand-alone health information system that allow storage, retrieval, and modification of records. (Source: ATA.)
electronic patient record (EPR) An electronic form of individual patient information that is designed to provide access to complete and accurate patient data, alerts, reminders, clinical decision support systems, links to medical knowledge, and other aids. (Source: ATA.)
encryption A system of encoding electronic data where the information can only be retrieved and decoded by the person or computer system authorized to access it. (Source: ATA.)
evidence-based clinical practice guidelines See clinical practice guidelines.
Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) A new open standard for healthcare data, developed by Health Level Seven International (HL7), that provides for RESTful web service access (RESTful web services are one way of providing interoperability between computer systems on the Internet) to granular data elements that can be queried for individual patient data or in aggregate for population data while at the same time allowing data to be exchanged in health records in both human- and machine-readable XML and JSON data formats.
FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
A U.S. government agency responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, quality, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products, and medical devices. The FDA is also responsible for the safety and security of most of our nation’s food supply, all cosmetics, dietary supplements, and products that give off radiation, and is responsible for regulating the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products.
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) The legal foundation defining how federal advisory committees operate. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provided for the creation of a Health IT Policy Committee and a Health IT Standards Committee under the auspices of FACA. See also Health IT Policy Committee and Health IT Standards Committee. (Source: https://www.healthit.gov.)
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) Govern civil litigation in the federal courts. The third set of FRCP amendments (2015) address the discovery of electronically stored information. These amendments highlight the important role electronic discovery plays in both litigation and regulatory investigations and reflect a diligent effort on the part of the drafters to reduce the costs and burdens that are associated with discovery and a continued concentrated effort to streamline the process and advance cooperation between the parties and to involve the court in the process.
Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) Rule 803: Exceptions to the Rule Against Hearsay Rule 803 is a rule in Article VIII of the Federal Rules of Evidence that lists and defines what is not excluded by Rule 802, the Rule Against Hearsay. Although medical records are considered to be hearsay in the eyes of the court, they generally are admitted as evidence on other grounds. The most common way in which medical records are admitted as evidence into a court of law is through FRE 803.
fiber An optical transmission media used to transmit data.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) A protocol that makes it possible to transmit files over the Internet.
firewall Computer software or a combination of hardware and software that blocks unauthorized communications between an institution’s computer network and external networks. (Source: ATA.)
genetics/genomics Genetics is the study of individual genes and their impact on relatively rare single gene disorders.
Genomics is the study of all of the genes in the human genome together, including their interactions with each other, the environment, and other psychosocial and cultural factors.
For further definitions of genetic and genomic terms related to DNA research, the Talking Glossary managed by the National Human Genome Research Institute is a useful reference (https://www.genome.gov/glossary/).
governance in healthcare IT Governance models in healthcare organizations provide a structure that engages stakeholders to work through critical decisions and ensure that risks associated with changes in policy, technology, and workflow are mitigated to maintain or improve the quality of patient care.
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) Bitmap image format supporting up to 8 bits per pixel and allowing a single image to reference a palette of up to 256 colors. (Source: ATA.)
group practice Privately owned and operated, ambulatory (outpatient) practice where a group of healthcare providers (most commonly physicians) are in a business partnership to provide medical care to members of a given community. Also known as a private medical practice.
hacker Unauthorized user who attempts to or gains access to an information system. (Source: NIST.)
Health Alert Network (HAN) CDC’s primary method of sharing cleared information about urgent public health incidents with public information officers; federal, state, territorial, and local public health practitioners; clinicians; and public health laboratories. (Source: https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/.)
Health and Human Services (HHS), United States Department of
The U.S. government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. CDC, CMS, FDA, HRSA, and several other agencies are sub-agencies of HHS.
health informatics The fields of clinical informatics and public health informatics, including both applied research and practice. (Source: AMIA.)
health information exchange (HIE) The mobilization of healthcare information electronically across organizations within a region, community, or hospital system. (Source: ATA.)
The electronic movement of health-related information among organizations according to national guidelines. (Source: AMIA.)
health information management (HIM) The practice of acquiring, analyzing, and protecting digital and traditional medical information vital to providing quality patient care. (Source: AMIA.)
health insurance There are three primary mechanisms through which Americans currently receive health insurance:
• Commercial (private) health insurance, which in the vast majority of cases is provided through an employer (employer-sponsored health insurance) but which can be purchased on an individual basis (typically at significantly higher cost). In 2015, the majority of Americans—approximately 214 million—were covered by private/commercial insurance programs, with the vast majority of those (about 178 million, or 83 percent) through employer-sponsored health insurance.
• Medicare, the federally sponsored program that provides an insurance benefit to the elderly (Americans 65 and older), as well as to those who are disabled and those with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In 2015, Medicare insured approximately 51.9 million Americans.
• Medicaid, which is administered by the states but funded by both the state and federal governments and which provides an insurance benefit to the economically disadvantaged as well as to certain categories of women (especially pregnant women) and children (through Medicaid or through a similar program called the State Children’s Health Insurance Program [SCHIP], or now simply the Children’s Health Insurance Program [CHIP]). In 2015, these programs insured approximately 62.4 million Americans.
In addition, nearly 14.9 million Americans received health insurance/healthcare through the military healthcare system (including Tricare and programs offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs).
Health IT Policy Committee Makes recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health IT on a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information infrastructure, including standards for the exchange of patient medical information. (Source: https://www.healthit.gov.)
Health IT Standards Committee Charged with making recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health IT on standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for the electronic exchange and use of health information. (Source: https://www.healthit.gov.)
Health Level Seven International (HL7) Health Level Seven International (HL7) is a not-for-profit, ANSI-accredited standards developing organization dedicated to providing a comprehensive framework and related standards for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information that supports clinical practice and the management, delivery, and evaluation of health services. (Source: www.hl7.org.)
HL7, the organization, ballots and maintains many healthcare data standards, the primary ones being: HL7’s Version 2.x (V2) messaging standard and HL7 Version 3 Clinical Document Architecture (CDA®), which is a document markup standard that specifies the structure and semantics of “clinical documents” for the purpose of exchange between healthcare providers and other stakeholders.
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) An HMO is an alternative to fee-for-service medical care which brings together a comprehensive range of healthcare services in a single organization. HMOs were created by the 1973 HMO Act. HMOs require covered patients to use the physicians who are employees of the HMO and services approved by the HMOs.
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
An agency of the U.S. government that is primarily responsible for improving health and achieving health equity through access to quality services, a skilled health work-force, and innovative programs. HRSA’s programs provide healthcare to people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically vulnerable. (Source: https://www.hrsa.gov/about/index.html.)
Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) A quality measure set used by members of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). These members are health plans, physicians, and health insurance companies.
HIPAA, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) required the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop regulations protecting the privacy and security of certain health information. To fulfill this requirement, HHS published what are commonly known as the HIPAA Privacy Rule and the HIPAA Security Rule. The Privacy Rule, or Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, establishes national standards for the protection of certain health information. The Security Rule, or Security Standards for the Protection of Electronic Protected Health Information, establishes a national set of security standards for protecting certain health information that is held or transferred in electronic form. The Security Rule operationalizes the protections contained in the Privacy Rule by addressing the technical and non-technical safeguards that organizations called “covered entities” must put in place to secure individuals’ “electronic protected health information” (e-PHI). (Source: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/security/laws-regulations/index.html.)
HITECH, Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act A government act to enable coordination and alignment within and among states, establish connectivity to the public health community in case of emergencies, and assure the workforce is properly trained and equipped to be meaningful users of EHRs. (Source: ATA.)
home care Care provided in the home for patients who require long-term care. It can be full-time, part-time, or 24 hours per day. Also referred to as visiting nursing services, but is important to note that a significant amount of professional home care is provided by nurses, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals.
home healthcare and remote monitoring systems Care provided to individuals and families in their place of residence for promoting, maintaining, or restoring health or for minimizing the effects of disability and illness, including terminal illness. In the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and Medicare claims and enrollment data, home healthcare refers to home visits by professionals including nurses, physicians, social workers, therapists, and home health aides. Use of remote monitoring and interactive devices allows the patient to send in vital signs on a regular basis to a provider without the need for travel. (Source: ATA.)
hospice/palliative care Care provided either in an inpatient unit specially designed for palliative care or at home. Hospice or palliative care is often another service provided by home care agencies. Hospice care is most commonly provided in the home with support of hospice caregivers, family, and/or friends. Palliative care focuses on managing pain, nausea, or other discomfort associated with terminal disease. Hospice care is instituted when the patient’s physician believes the patient has a life expectancy of less than six months and the patient does not desire further curative treatment.
hospital A facility that provides acute care where the average length of stay is generally less than 30 days. Hospitals may be not-for-profit or for-profit, may be sponsored by religious organizations or governments, and may have specially designated purposes.
ICD-10-CM: International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification A coding system for medical diagnoses, symptoms, and nonspecific complaints. It is frequently used on insurance claim forms to identify the reasons for providing medical services
ICD-10 codes, as opposed to their predecessor ICD-9 codes, must be used on all HIPAA transactions, including outpatient claims with dates of service, and inpatient claims with dates of discharge on and after October 1, 2015.
independent practice association (IPA) Independent practice association– managed care organizations contract with existing physician practices and other health-care providers to provide care to their members. IPAs were created by the 1973 HMO Act but, unlike HMOs, do not have the free-standing clinical facilities with “one-stop shopping” for their patients. Each IPA often requires participating providers to care only for its members.
informatics General term used to refer to biomedical informatics and its many areas of application and practice (e.g., bioinformatics, clinical informatics, public health informatics). (Source: AMIA.)
The use of computer science and information technologies for the management and processing of data, information, and knowledge. The field encompasses human-computer interaction, information science, information technology, algorithms, areas of mathematics, and social sciences. (Source: ATA.)
information science The field of study concerned with issues related to the management and retrieval of both paper-based and electronically stored information. (Source: AMIA.)
Institute of Medicine (IOM) See National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO) An international nonprofit standards development organization that owns SNOMED CT. See Systemized Nomenclature for Medicine (SNOMED CT).
International Standards Organization (ISO) Developer and publisher of International Standards that forms a bridge between the public and private sectors to enable a consensus to be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society. (Source: AMIA.)
Internet Protocol (IP) Protocol by which data is sent from one computer to another over the Internet. Each computer has at least one address that uniquely identifies it from all other computers on the Internet. IP is a connectionless protocol, which means that there is no established connection between the end points that are communicating. The IP address of a videoconferencing system is its phone number. (Source: ATA.)
Internet service provider (ISP) A business that provides access to the Internet.
interoperability The ability of two or more systems (computers, communication devices, networks, software, and other information technology components) to interact with one another and exchange data according to a prescribed method in order to achieve predictable results (ISO ITC-215). There are three types of interoperability: human/ operational, clinical, and technical. (Source: ATA.)
Joint Commission (JC)
An independent, not-for-profit organization that is the accrediting body for most hospitals, ambulatory care centers, behavioral health centers, home healthcare, and other healthcare organizations in the United States. To maintain accreditation, healthcare organizations must undergo an onsite survey visit by JC every three years. The survey focuses on structural, process, and outcome measures elements during the onsite visits. Structural elements evaluate the adequacy and safety of the physical facilities (e.g., whether the facilities are adequate to prevent patient falls).
licensure A restricted practice requiring a license, which gives a “permission to practice.” Such licenses are usually issued in order to regulate some activity that is deemed to be dangerous or a threat to the person or the public or which involves a high level of specialized skill. (Source: ATA.)
local area network (LAN) Computer network within an organization, supporting devices, linking computers, printers, servers, etc. and supporting audio, video, and data exchange. It generally operates at 10, 100, or 1,000 Mbps. (Source: ATA.)
LOINC A common language (set of identifiers, names, and codes) for identifying health measurements, observations, and documents. LOINC codes represent the “question” for a test or measurement and, where needed, codes from other standards (e.g. SNOMED CT) represent the “answer.” (Source: https://loinc.org/get-started/what-loinc-is/.)
long-term care facilities (LTCF) Nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and assisted living facilities that provide a variety of services, both medical and personal care, to people who are unable to manage independently in the community. (Source: CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/longtermcare/.)
mainframe An approach to computing that shares the resources of a large and powerful computer among many users.
managed care organization (MCO) A type of independent practice association (IPA) (see entry, earlier) that contracts with existing physician practices and other health-care providers to provide care to their members.
meaningful use The set of standards defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Incentive Programs that governs the use of electronic health records and allows eligible providers and hospitals to earn incentive payments by meeting specific criteria. (Source: ATA.)
Medicaid A joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with low incomes and limited resources. Medicaid programs vary from state to state, but most healthcare costs are covered if you qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. (Source: https://www.cms.gov/apps/glossary/.)
Medicare The federal health insurance program for: people 65 years of age or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure with dialysis or a transplant, sometimes called ESRD). (Source: https://www.cms.gov/apps/glossary/.)
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Legislation that repeals the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) methodology for updates to the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and replaces it with a new approach to payment called the Quality Payment Program that rewards the delivery of high-quality patient care through two avenues: Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs) and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for eligible clinicians or groups under the PFS. (Source: https://qpp.cms.gov/.)
Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) A payment innovation linked to the operations of accountable-care organizations (ACOs). The MSSP ACO is, then, a delivery system innovation tightly linked to a change in the way care is paid for.
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) program that aims to streamline three existing programs: the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the Physician Value-based Payment Modifier (VM), and the Medicare EHR Incentive Program for Eligible Professionals (EPs). The MIPS program reimbursement is based upon a Composite Performance Score (CPS) that is divided among the four weighted categories (Quality, Resource Use, Clinical Practice Improvement Activity, and Advancing Care Information) and, based upon the score achieved, will determine the payment that clinicians receive. Under the proposed rule, the first performance period for MIPS will begin on January 1, 2017, and run throughout the calendar year, with the first MIPS payment period beginning in 2019.
m-health Practice of medicine and public health supported by mobile communication devices, such as mobile phones, tablet computers, and PDAs for health services and information. (Source: ATA.)
mobile medical applications Health software programs that run on software programs that run on Smartphone and other mobile communication devices. (Source: AMIA.)
National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
Established in 1970 under the name Institute of Medicine (IOM), an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine; the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; and beyond. It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as adviser to the nation and the international community. Through its domestic and global initiatives, the NAM works to address critical issues in health, medicine, and related policy and inspire positive action across sectors. The NAM collaborates closely with its peer academies and other divisions within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (Source: https://nam.edu/about-the-nam/.)
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
An organization composed of nearly 3,000 local health departments across the United States that is focused on being a leader, partner, catalyst, and voice for change for local health departments around the nation.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
The largest institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients.
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
A component of CDC, serving as the nation’s principal health statistics agency. NCHS compiles statistical information to help guide public health and health policy decisions. These health statistics allow NCHS and stakeholders that use NCHS data to:
• Document the health status of the U.S. population and selected subgroups
• Track the impact of major policy initiatives, including the Affordable Care Act
• Document access to and use of the healthcare system
• Identify disparities in health status and use of healthcare by race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, other population characteristics, and geographic region
• Monitor trends in health indicators
• Support biomedical and health services research
• Provide data to support public policies and programs, including recent data on opioid overdose deaths
(Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/factsheets/factsheet_overview.htm.)
National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS)
An advisory body to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on health information policy. It provides advice and assistance on key health data issues related to community and population health, standards, privacy and confidentiality, quality, and data access and use.
National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)
A non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
One of the world’s foremost medical research centers. A part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) responsible for conducting and supporting medical research.
National Library of Medicine (NLM) The world’s largest medical library. The library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and healthcare. It is also an NIH institute and supports research and training in areas related to biomedical and health information management and information technology. (Source: AMIA.)
A not-for-profit, nonpartisan, membership-based organization that works to catalyze improvements in healthcare. The NQF convenes the Measure Application Partnership (MAP), a public-private partnership to provide input to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about what performance measures it should select for public reporting and performance-based payment programs required under the ACA.
Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) A pilot program by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) established to provide a nationwide health information exchange (HIE) that uses a common standard. (Source: https://www.healthit.gov/.)
network integrators Organizations specializing in the development of software and related services that allow devices and systems to share data and communicate to one another. (Source: ATA.)
nursing informatics The component of clinical informatics that deals with the roles and activities of individuals in the nursing profession. (Source: AMIA.)
Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) Part of HHS that oversees and encourages the development of a national, interoperable (compatible) health information technology system to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare. (Also referred to as ONCHIT.) (Source: AMIA.)
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) See Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). (Source: AMIA.)
operational safeguards Processes, procedures, and practices that govern the creation, handling, usage, and sharing of health information in accordance with the information assurance policy.
palliative care See hospice/palliative care.
patient portal A secure online website that gives patients convenient 24-hour access to personal health information from anywhere within Internet connection. (Source: AMIA.)
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) The first part of the comprehensive healthcare reform law enacted on March 23, 2010. The law was amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act on March 30, 2010. The name “Affordable Care Act” is usually used to refer to the final, amended version of the law. (It’s sometimes known as “PPACA,” “ACA,” or “Obamacare.”) The law provides numerous rights and protections that make health coverage more fair and easy to understand, along with subsidies (through “premium tax credits” and “cost-sharing reductions”) to make it more affordable. The law also expands the Medicaid program to cover more people with low incomes. (Source: https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act/.)
patient safety The prevention of harm to patients.
patient-centered medical home (PCMH) The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a care delivery model whereby patient treatment is coordinated through their primary care physician to ensure they receive the necessary care when and where they need it, in a manner they can understand. (Source: https://www.acponline.org/practice-resources/business/payment/models/pcmh/understanding/what-pcmh.)
personal health information (PHI) See protected health information (PHI).
personal health record (PHR) An electronic health record that is maintained by the patient to provide a complete and accurate summary of an individual’s medical history, typically combining information from a variety of encounters with multiple providers, accessible online. (Sources: ATA and AMIA.)
pharmacogenomics The study of the influences of genetic variation on medication and adverse events. (Source: National Human Genome Research Institute, https://www.genome.gov/.)
physical safeguard In the context of the HIPAA Security Rule, a physical measure, policy, or procedure to protect a covered entity’s electronic information systems and related buildings and equipment from natural and environmental hazards, and unauthorized intrusion. This includes the facilities within which data is generated, stored, displayed, and used; the media on which data is recorded and shared; the information system hardware used to process, access, and display the data; and the communications equipment used to transmit and route the data that require physical safeguards.
Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) A qualified clinical data registry sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that captures information regarding the quality of care delivered by outpatient clinicians. The registry is used to examine trends in the quality of care clinicians provide to their patients, helping to ensure that patients get the right care at the right time.
precision medicine (personalized healthcare) According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), precision medicine is “an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person.” This approach will allow doctors and researchers to predict more accurately which treatment and prevention strategies for a particular disease will work in which groups of people. It is in contrast to a “one-size-fits-all” approach, in which disease treatment and prevention strategies are developed for the average person, with less consideration for the differences between individuals. (Source: https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/.)
preferred provider organization (PPO) Similar to an HMO but with the significant exception that physicians and other healthcare providers (hospitals, pharmacies, etc.) do not share financial risk. Also, patients are not required to use physicians on the PPO’s approved provider list; they may use any provider but must pay higher copayments and/or deductibles if they use unapproved providers.
Prevention and Public Health Fund Established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to provide expanded and sustained national investments in prevention and public health, to improve health outcomes, and to enhance healthcare quality. (Source: https://www.hhs.gov/open/prevention/.)
primary care The level of healthcare of which most patients first seek help for general medical problems. Primary care physicians (PCPs) are generally trained as family medicine physicians, general internal medicine physicians, or pediatricians. The vast majority of medical care occurs in primary care settings, also known as general medical care or personal healthcare.
print server A special-purpose server that receives print jobs from users, stores them, and then prints them to connected printers.
private medical practice A privately owned and operated, ambulatory (outpatient) practice where a group of healthcare providers (most commonly physicians) are in a business partnership to provide medical care to members of a given community. Also known as a group practice.
programming language A programming language can be defined as a set of notations designed for writing programs to communicate instructions to a computer. Many programming languages are in existence today, such as BASIC, Perl, Fortran, COBOL, C, C++, and Java.
project management The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet the project requirements.
protected health information (PHI) Information about patients that is protected from inappropriate disclosure under the privacy and security mandates of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and subsequent related legislation. Also known as patient health information. (Source: AMIA.)
Part of the HIPAA Privacy Rule that protects all “individually identifiable health information” held or transmitted by a covered entity or its business associate, in any form or media, whether electronic, paper, or oral. The Privacy Rule calls this information “protected health information (PHI).” Individually identifiable health information is information, including demographic data, that relates to the individual’s past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition, the provision of healthcare to the individual, or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of healthcare to the individual, and that identifies the individual or for which there is a reasonable basis to believe it can be used to identify the individual. Individually identifiable health information includes many common identifiers (e.g., name, address, birth date, Social Security Number). The Privacy Rule excludes from protected health information employment records that a covered entity maintains in its capacity as an employer and education and certain other records subject to, or defined in, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. §1232g. (Source: ATA.)
public health The World Health Organization (WHO) defines public health as follows: “The science and art of promoting health, preventing disease, and prolonging life through the organized efforts of society.”
public health department A government organization that focuses on the health of a population rather than individuals. Public health departments are administrated at the city, county, state, and federal levels. To accomplish their mission, public health departments focus on prevention of disease and attempt to mitigate factors in society that foster disease in populations.
public health informatics The application of biomedical informatics in areas of public health, including surveillance, reporting, and health promotion. Public health informatics, and its corollary, population informatics, is concerned with groups rather than individuals. Public health is extremely broad and might even reflect an interest in information technology with regard to ecology, architecture, climate, agriculture, and such. Generally, public health informatics focuses on those aspects of public health that enable the development and use of interoperable information systems for public health functions such as biosurveillance, outbreak response, and electronic laboratory reporting. (Source: AMIA.)
ransomware Ransomware is malicious software that prevents access to data on a computer or in systems until a ransom is paid; in short, a means for extortion. Ransom-ware has many different forms, from types that attack and lock up systems, to types that attack and encrypt data, to types that attack/steal the information and leave behind an encrypted copy.
Extortion, most often in the form of ransomware, is especially troubling for health-care organizations because it attacks data availability, which affects the very thing they care most about—patient care. Extortion can take a more sinister approach when the hacker steals data and then demands a ransom to return the data, typically along with an explanation of how to fix the vulnerability and a promise not to disclose the issue. The problem with responding to extortion is that you are dealing with a criminal. You do not know if the extortionist will return all the data or keep a copy and continue the extortion, has left a back door into your environment to steal more data, or will keep the promise not to disclose the issue.
Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) See health information exchange (HIE).
registry A special type of database used to collect information on a population, usually focused on a single disease, a group of related diseases, or a specific grouping of environmental contaminants. Many public health departments also maintain population health registries. The data within registries are collected from many different sources, including insurance claims transactions, patient self-reported questionnaires or surveys, and medical record chart reviews. In addition to public health departments, other entities create and maintain registries, including research organizations, medical societies such as the American College of Cardiology, and health systems and ACOs that desire to capture additional data beyond what is in their EHR system.
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) A Microsoft protocol that makes it possible for a remote user to connect to another computer. Formerly called Terminal Services.
Reportable Conditions Mapping Table (RCMT) A value set published by CDC that includes the specific LOINC and SNOMED CT terms that represent reportable conditions that providers report to public health departments. (Source: CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/ehrmeaningfuluse/rcmt.html.)
retail clinic A walk-in medical facility, often located in a pharmacy, supermarket, airport, shopping center, or “big box” store such as CVS, Target, Rite Aid, or Walmart, that is typically staffed by mid-level providers (i.e., physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and is designed to handle simple medical conditions such as sore throats and earaches, routine vaccinations, and physicals for school, sports, camp, and employment. Retail clinics are a more recent development in the ambulatory care business.
secondary use of data Term generally used to refer to uses of clinical data for purposes other than direct patient care (e.g., for research purposes, for public health surveillance, for billing, for analysis in disease registries). (Source: AMIA.)
SMART Health IT An open, standards-based (built upon OAuth) application platform for healthcare that enables developers to create applications seamlessly within an EHR or on a data warehouse. This framework allows clinical care and technical IT support users in healthcare to more seamlessly draw upon the entire library of applications being used in clinical care, mobile applications, research, and public health. (Source: SMART, https://smarthealthit.org/.)
specialty hospital A healthcare center that focuses on particular diseases or services. Specialty hospitals can be either not-for-profit or for-profit. “Heart hospitals” are an excellent example of specialty hospitals.
standard A statement established by consensus or authority that provides a benchmark for measuring quality and that is aimed at achieving optimal results. (Source: ATA.)
syndromic surveillance A surveillance approach in which evidence of an increasing number of patients with a specific set of symptoms or findings (called a syndrome) is tracked with the expectation that a developing pattern of disease will be found earlier than if public health departments waited until providers identified a diagnosis causing these symptoms. This approach might prove particularly important in cases in which an unusual underlying cause might not be recognized for days or weeks.
system/network integration The use of software that allows devices and systems to share data and communicate with one another. (Source: ATA.)
Systemized Nomenclature for Medicine (SNOMED CT) Provides core general terminology for EHRs and contains more than 311,000 active concepts with unique meanings and formal logic-based definitions organized into hierarchies. When implemented in software it can be used to represent clinically relevant information consistently, reliably, and comprehensively as an integral part of producing electronic health records. (Source: ATA.)
telehealth Encompasses a broad variety of technologies and tactics to deliver virtual medical, health, and education services. Telehealth is not a specific service, but a collection of means to enhance care and education delivery. (Source: http://www.cchpca.org/what-is-telehealth.)
telemedicine The use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve patients’ health status. Closely associated with telemedicine is the term “telehealth,” which is often used to encompass a broader definition of remote healthcare that does not always involve clinical services. Videoconferencing, transmission of still images, e-health including patient portals, remote monitoring of vital signs, continuing medical education, and nursing call centers are all considered part of telemedicine and telehealth. Telemedicine is not a separate medical specialty. Products and services related to telemedicine are often part of a larger investment by healthcare institutions in either information technology or the delivery of clinical care. Even in the reimbursement fee structure, there is usually no distinction made between services provided on site and those provided through telemedicine and often no separate coding required for billing of remote services. Telemedicine encompasses different types of programs and services provided for the patient. Each component involves different providers and consumers. (Source: ATA.)
Terminal Services See Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
translational bioinformatics Research in bioinformatics that is motivated by human health and thereby emphasizes the relationship of the work to human disease in areas such as diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and management. (Source: AMIA.)
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) The communications protocols used to implement Layers 3 and 4 of the Internet communications model.
Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Set of files and software that brings together many health and biomedical vocabularies and standards to enable interoperability between computer systems. (Source: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/quickstart.html.)
usability The extent to which a system, product, or service can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use. (Source: https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:9241:-210:ed-1:v1:en.)
value set Each value set consists of the numerical values (codes) and human-readable names (terms), drawn from standard vocabularies such as SNOMED CT®, RxNorm, LOINC, and ICD-10-CM, which are used to define clinical concepts used in clinical quality measures (e.g., patients with diabetes, clinical visit). (Source: https://www.report.nih.gov/crs/View.aspx?Id=3203&FY=2014.)
virtual private network (VPN) Method to carry private communications network traffic over the public Internet using tunneling or port forwarding which is the transmission of private data over public lines in an encapsulated form. (Source: ATA.)
virtualization The creation of virtual versions of information technology components such as virtual machines, switches, and routers.
wide area network (WAN) Network covering a wide geographic area, whether several company sites or services by a common Internet service provider. (Source: ATA.)
wireless/WiFi The underlying technology of wireless local area networks (WLANs) based on the IEEE 802.11 specifications. It is used for mobile computing devices, Internet and VoIP phone access, gaming, and basic connectivity of consumer electronics such as televisions and DVD players, or digital cameras. (Source: ATA.)
workflow The sequence of steps involved in performing a particular action.