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Glossary of Medical Terms

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Medical Terms - H

  • Health Alert Network (HAN) - (Communications network used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to communicate with state and local health departments regarding possible disease outbreaks or to provide warnings if an outbreak is known to exist in the country.)

  • Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) - (agency established in 1977 to administer the Medicare and Medicaid programs - renamed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2001)

  • Health Care Industry Cybersecurity Task Force (HCIC) - (group of government and private sector organizations within the healthcare and public health sector working to improve cybersecurity, awareness, and capabilities)

  • Health, Education, and Welfare, Department of (HEW) - (cabinet-level department created under President Eisenhower, established April 11, 1953 - predecessor of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) - officially created May 4, 1980)

  • Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of (HHS) (DHHS) - (federal agency which oversees the U.S. healthcare system and administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) - responsible for HIPAA/HITECH compliance through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which took over compliance enforcement duties from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in July 2009)

  • Health and Human Services - Office for Civil Rights (HHS-OCR) - (division within HHS responsible for HIPAA/HITECH compliance - OCR took over compliance enforcement duties from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in July 2009)

  • Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP) - (cybersecurity framework publication developed by a Health and Human Services (HHS) 2007 task force, intended to advance cybersecurity practices)

  • Health Information for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH Act) - (federal legislation, enacted as Title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, which expanded medical information privacy safeguards and established the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) - strengthened the enforcement powers of HIPAA data protection rules and added a breach notification requirement)

  • Health Information Exchange (HIE) - (organization that exists to facilitate the electronic sharing of healthcare information across multiple healthcare organizations - provides standards and guidelines to foster electronic information exchange)

  • Health Information Exchange Organization (HIO) - (an organization that facilitates the exchange of health information)

  • Health Information Management (HIM) - (system of managing processes involved in the internal and external information flow for healthcare systems)

  • health information technology (HIT) - (technology used in the medical field - technological devices and systems used to collect, store, and process medical data - includes all the computer, digital, and electronic hardware and software used in a healthcare organization to collect, use, transfer, and store information)

  • Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) - (organization setting information security controls standards for healthcare organizations and offering certification in its common security framework (CSF))

  • Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA) - (organization that seeks to educate the public on the benefits of private health insurance coverage)

  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) - (federal legislation designed to make health insurance portable by protecting health care coverage when workers change jobs - also provided for additional safeguards relating to protected health information (PHI) requiring physicians and other healthcare providers who conduct electronic transactions to adopt certain security measures to safeguard PHI in electronic form)

  • Health Level Seven (HL7) - (standards-setting organization that has created message format standards to address interoperability of information systems within and across health care organizations)

  • Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) - (a healthcare organization that enrolls patients who pay a fixed amount to receive healthcare services - patients who are members are then eligible to receive care at lower cost from providers who have joined the HMO and agreed to prenegotiated fees set by the HMO)

  • health records management (HRM) - (system of managing the collection, processing, storing, organizing, accessing, and retrieval of health records)

  • Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) - (arrangement where employers make contributions to a plan and the plan reimburses employees for their medical expenses)

  • Health Savings Account (HSA) - (arrangement allowing individuals to contribute an annual amount to be used to pay for health-related expenses)

  • Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) - (outpatient coding system produced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) providing Medicare codes for ancillary services and procedures used by doctors and other healthcare providers - helps to ensure that hospital procedures and physician services are reported and processed in an orderly and consistent manner)

  • Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Control Program (HCFAC) - (program designed to coordinate federal, state, and local law enforcement activities with respect to healthcare fraud and abuse)

  • Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) - (organization of systems managers serving the healthcare field)

  • Healthcare Information Sharing and Analysis Center (H-ISAC) - (organization which coordinates information sharing and provides resources, such as threat intelligence, reporting capabilities, and threat analysis related to the healthcare and public health fields)

  • hierarchical storage management system (HSM) - (an automated process which moves data between high-cost and low-cost storage media options)

  • High-Deductible Health Plan with Savings Option (HDHP/SO) - (a high-deductible health insurance plan that enables enrollees to use tax-deferred funds (a health savings account, or HSA) to pay plan cost sharing and other out-of-pocket medical expenses - for a relatively low premium, an enrollee gets catastrophic insurance coverage)

  • HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System (HETS) - (system allowing inquiries about Medicare eligibility and providing a response during an application process)

  • Home Office Life Underwriters Association (HOLUA) - (organization of home office underwriters of life insurance companies)

  • Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of (HUD) - (federal agency responsible for promoting housing development in the U.S., primarily through a program involving direct loans, mortgage insurance, and guarantees)

  • Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) - (virus attacking the immune system, reducing the ability to fight infections, and resulting in the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) disease)

  • human resource accounting (HRA) - (method of accounting which attempts to quantify the value of the human factor and the economic and social impact business policies will have on employees and on the company)

  • human resources (HR) - (generally, any part of an organization's operations which involves people or a company's employees;
    company department which manages personnel, advises management on employment matters, conducts searches for job candidates to fill positions, participates in hiring and firing decisions, helps with long-term planning involving employment needs, training, and development)

  • human resources management (HRM) - (field which deals with the management of an organization's people/employees to meet its needs and further its goals)

  • human subject protection (HSP) - (safeguards, regulations, and guidance on the ethical treatment of individuals participating in clinical trials)