Glossary

Written ahead of time, a health care advance directive is a written document that says how you want medical decisions to be made if you lose the ability to make decisions for yourself. A health care advance directive may include a Living Will and a Durable Power of Attorney for health care.

A written document stating how you want medical decisions to be made if you lose the ability to make them for yourself. It may include a Living Will and a Durable Power of Attorney for health care.

Prior to the enactment of the Social Security Independence and Program Improvements Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-296) on August 15, 1994, the Social Security Act required the appointment of an Advisory Council every 4 years to study and review the financial status of the OASDI and Medicare programs. The most recent Advisory Council was appointed on June 9, 1994, and its report on the financial status of the OASDI program was submitted on January 6, 1997. Under the provisions of Public Law 103-296, this is the last Advisory Council to be appointed.

A person who gives you support or protects your rights.

A Medicare carrier, FI, or other contractor such as a Durable Medical Equipment Regional Carrier (DMERC), which shares some or all of the PSC's jurisdiction in which the affiliated contractor performs non-PSC Medicare functions such as claims processing or education.

A health care provider or facility that is paid by a health plan to give service to plan members.

An individual aged 65 or over, who is enrolled in the SMI program.

One of a class of simple proteins in the blood. The level of albumin may reflect the amount of protein intake in food.

Is a rule or procedure containing conditional logic for solving a problem or accomplishing a task. Guideline algorithms concern rules for evaluating patient care against published guidelines. Criteria algorithms concern rules for evaluating criteria compliance. Algorithms may be expresses in written form, graphic outlines, diagrams, flow charts that describe each step in the work or thought process.

Individual charge determined by a carrier for a covered SMI medical service or supply.