Cost Plus Reimbursement: Cost plus Reimbursement means that a health care provider is paid for all incurred costs upward to a pre-defined limit, and then paid more to make a profit.
Respite Care: Respite Care is provided by a type of so-called "nursing home" to the needy elderly, very ill, or disabled persons, in order to give their usual caregivers a break from their daily responsibilities.
Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990: This Act, or law, (the PSDA), requires that patients of HMOs, nursing homes, hospitals, many hospitals, and even home health agencies, provide information about advance directives (which give healthcare staff an idea of how to proceed in the event of certain scenarios, such as brain death) upon admission to the facility.
Public Hospitals: Public hospitals are inpatient (and outpatient) longer term care facilities that are owned by the people, and usually paid for by the government out of taxpayer's money, and/or corporations or charities.
Voluntary Hospitals: Voluntary hospitals are a type of private non-profit hospital that is owned and/or controlled by a corporation, partnership, or individual.
Proprietary Hospitals: Proprietary hospitals are either owned by a for-profit corporation or a non-profit entity, and are privately-funded by individuals, insurers, or national health insurance programs funded by the government.
Certification: Certification, in the context of home health agencies, must be certified (or approved) by Medicare because they must comply with the regulations set forth by CMS. A certificate of need (CON) shows a given state has a medical care system that is based on need, thereby requiring state planning.
Accreditation: Accreditation is a way in which hospitals evaluate and assess their quality of care by both peer review and external review, in an effort to continuously improve both the quality and cost of care.
As a graduate with a Master's in Health Administration, I could work at a public hospital, private hospital, or a voluntary hospital. As I am willing to sacrifice some income to provide hospital care to those with lower income, or no income, I feel that such a facility would be the best match for my particular interest in serving the underserved. Moreover, public hospitals benefit much of the overall population, and lower class individuals and families benefit from these usually government-owned hospitals.
The mission and goals of a hospice is to provide the best care to those with a terminal illness, such as advanced cancer, comatose individuals, or end-stage renal disease. In general, those who need end-of-life care are hospice patients. Often, hospices provide counseling and grief support for family members of patients. Moreover, the goal of a hospice is to make the passing of a patient as comfortable and dignified as possible, while providing as much emotional support as possible to these terminally-ill patients, as well as their family members. The hospice environment is typically stressful, as imminent death is the focus of care, as there is no chance of recovering from a diagnosed terminal illness, such as advanced cancer or end-stage renal disease. Hospice care places inordinate emotional and mental demands on staff, as closeness to patients is a likelihood. Thus, medical staff will go through a grieving process as well in the line of duty as a hospice care worker.
