It refers to facility or program providing care for the terminally ill. Hospice care involves a team-oriented approach that addresses the medical, physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of the patient. Hospice also provides support to the patient's family or caregiver as well.

It refers to the requirement that managed care organizations have sufficient operating funds, on hand or available in reserve, to cover all expenses associated with services for which they have assumed financial risk.

It is insurance coverage with no front-end deductible where coverage begins with the first dollar of expense incurred by the insured for any covered benefit.

It is a part of a contract which prohibits physicians, providers or other care entities from contracting with more than one managed care organization. Exclusive contracts are common in staff model HMOs and IPAs but becoming less common in other health plan contracting.

It is a Medicare beneficiary who also receives the full range of Medicaid benefits offered in his or her state. Medicare usually pays the charges for inpatient while Medicaid will pay the co-pay for inpatient care in hospitals. Medicare will be considered the primary insurer for inpatient care for the Care/Caid patient.

Doctors in recent years have admitted to and have been accused of prescribing additional tests or procedures to justify their care, strengthen support for their decisions or simply to corroborate their diagnosis. This defensiveness is a result of lawsuits, malpractice claims and the onslaught of external UR entities questioning care decisions. Defensive medicine is said to be one of the primary causes of the increasing cost of health care. Many physicians and the AMA fight for tort reform to reduce the need for defensive medicine. However, patient groups and patient advocates, not in favor of tort reform, explain that the right to sue for malpractice is a valid method of holding physicians accountable for mistakes made.

It is health coverage that a new enrollee has had in the past that gives the enrollee certain rights when he or she applies for new coverage.