Paid Claims Loss Ratio

Paid claims divided by premiums. See also Loss Ratio.

Participating physician or Participating Provider

Simply refers to a provider under a contract with a health plan. A physician or hospital that has agreed to provide services for a set payment provided by a payer, or who agrees to other arrangements, or who agrees to provide services to a set of covered lives or defined patients. Also refers to a provider or physician who signs an agreement to accept assignment on all Medicare claims for one year. See also Assignment, Preferred Provider or Network.

Patient Liability

The dollar amount which an insured is legally obligated to pay for services rendered by a provider.

Patient origin study

A study, generally undertaken by an individual health program or health planning agency, to determine the geographic distribution of the residences of the patients served by one or more health programs. Such studies help define catchment and medical trade areas and are useful in locating and planning the development of new services.

Part A Medicare

Refers to the inpatient portion of benefits under the Medicare Program, covering beneficiaries for inpatient hospital, home health, hospice, and limited skilled nursing facility services. Beneficiaries are responsible for deductibles and copayments. Part A services are financed by the Medicare HI Trust Fund, which consists of Medicare tax payments. Part B, on the other hand, refers to outpatient coverage.

Part B Medicare

Refers to the outpatient benefits of Medicare. Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) under Part B of Title XVII of the Social Security Act covers Medicare beneficiaries for physician services, medical supplies, and other outpatient treatment. Beneficiaries are responsible for monthly premiums, copayments, deductibles, and balance billing. Part B services are financed by a combination of enrollee premiums and general tax revenues.

Partial Risk Contract

A contract between a purchaser and a health plan, in which only part of the financial risk is transferred from the purchaser to the plan. Forms of this are often seen in "self-funded" plans, competitive bidding arrangements and new health plans.

Participating Provider

Any provider licensed in the state of provision and contracted with an insurer. Usually this refers to providers who are a part of a network. That network would be a panel of participating providers. Each payer assembles their own provider panels.

PCP

Primary care physician who often acts as the primary gatekeeper in health plans. That is, often the PCP must approval referrals to specialists. Particularly in HMOs and some PPOs, all members must choose or are assigned a PCP.

Per Diem Rates

A form of payment for services in which the provider is paid a daily fee for specific services or outcomes, regardless of the cost of provision. Per diem rates are paid without regard to actual charges and may vary by level of care, such as medical, surgical, intensive care, skilled care, psychiatric, etc. Per diem rates are usually flat all inclusive rates.

Per Member Per Month (PMPM)

Applies to a revenue or cost for each enrolled member each month. The number of units of something divided by member months. Often used to describe premiums or capitated payments to providers, but can also refer to the revenue or cost for each enrolled member each month. Many calculations, other than cost or premium, use PMPM as a descriptor.

Physician attestation

The requirement that the attending physician certify, in writing, the accuracy and completion of the clinical information used for DRG assignment.

Physician Current Procedural Teminology (CPT)

List of services and procedures performed by providers, with each service/procedure having a unique 5-digit identifying code. CPT is the health care industry's standard for reporting of physician services and procedures. Used in billing and records.

Plan Administration

A term often used to describe the management unit with responsibility to run and control a managed care plan - includes accounting, billing, personnel, marketing, legal, purchasing, possibly underwriting, management information, facility maintenance, servicing of accounts. This group normally contracts for medical services and hospital care.

Plan Document

The document which contains all of the provisions, conditions, and terms of operation of a pension or health or welfare plan. This document may be written in technical terms as distinguished from a summary plan description (SPD) which, under ERISA, must be written in a manner calculated to be understood by the average plan participant.

Point-of-Service Plan (POS)

Managed care plan which specifies that those patients who go outside of the plan for services may pay more out of pocket expenses. A health insurance benefits program in which subscribers can select between different delivery systems (i.e., HMO, PPO and fee-for-service) when in need of health care services and at the time of accessing the services, rather than making the selection between delivery systems at time of open enrollment at place of employment. Typically, the costs associated with receiving care from the "in network" or approved providers are less than when care is rendered by non-contracting providers. Or the costs are less if provided by approved providers in either the HMO or PPO rather than "out of network" or "out of plan" providers. This is a method of influencing patients to use certain providers without restricting their freedom of choice too severely.

Pooling

Combining risks for groups into one risk pool. Also see Risk.

Portability

Requirement that health plans guarantee continuous coverage without waiting periods for persons moving between plans. This is a new protection for beneficiaries involving the issuance of a certificate of coverage from previous health plan to be given to new health plan. Under this requirement, a beneficiary who changes jobs is guaranteed coverage with the new plan, without a waiting period or having to meet additional deductible requirements. Primarily, this refers to the requirement that insurers waive any pre-existing condition exclusion for beneficiaries previously covered through other insurance.  

Practical Nurses

Practical nurses, also known as vocational nurses, provide nursing care and treatment of patients under the supervision of a licensed physician or registered nurse. Licensure as a licensed practical nurse (L.P.N.) or in California and Texas as a licensed vocational nurse (L.V.N.), is required.

Preadmission Review, Pre-Admission Certification, Pre-Certification, or Pre-authorization

Review of "need" for inpatient care or other care before admission. This refers to a decision made by the payer, MCO or insurance company prior to admission. The payer determines whether or not the payer will pay for the service. Most managed care plans require pre-cert. This is a method of controlling and monitoring utilization by evaluating the need for service prior to the service being rendered. The practice of reviewing claims for inpatient admission prior to the patient entering the hospital in order to assure that the admission is medically necessary. A method of monitoring and controlling utilization by evaluating the need for medical service prior to it being performed. The process of notification and approval of elective inpatient admission and identified outpatient services before the service is rendered. An administrative procedure whereby a health provider submits a treatment plan to a third party before treatment is initiated. The third party usually reviews the treatment plan, monitoring one or more of the following: patient's eligibility, covered service, amounts payable, application of appropriate deductibles, copayment factors and maximums. Under some programs, for instance, predetermination by the third party is required when covered charges are expected to exceed a certain amount. Similar processes: preauthorization, precertification, pre-estimate of cost, pretreatment estimate, prior authorization.

Pre-existing condition, Preexisting condition

A medical condition developed prior to issuance of a health insurance policy which may result in the limitation in the contract on coverage or benefits. Some policies exclude coverage of such conditions is often excluded for a period of time or indefinitely. Federally-qualified HMOs cannot limit coverage for pre-existing conditions. New statutes in 1997 and 1998 altered the freedom other health plans have enjoyed in setting preexisting time limits. Certification of prior coverage may mean new insurers would need to waive preexisting clauses for some subscribers.

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)

Some combination of hospitals and physicians that agrees to render particular services to a group of people, perhaps under contract with a private insurer. The services may be furnished at discounted rates and the insured population may incur out-of-pocket expenses for covered services received outside the PPO if the outside charge exceeds the PPO payment rate. A PPO  can also be a legal entity or it may be a function of an already formed health plan, HMO or PHO. The entity may have a health benefit plan which is also referred to as a PPO. PPOs are a common method of managing care while still paying for services through an indemnity plan. Most PPO plans are point of service plans, in that they will pay a higher percentage for care provided by providers in the network. Many insurers will offer PPOs as well as HMOs. Generally PPOs will offer more choice for the patient and will provide higher reimbursement to the providers. See also point of service.

Premium

Amount paid to a carrier for providing coverage under a contract.

Prevailing charge

One of the factors determining a physician's payment for a service under Medicare, set at a percentile of customary charges of all physicians in the locality.

Prevalence

The number of cases of disease, infected persons, or persons with some other attribute, present at a particular time and in relation to the size of the population from which drawn. It can be a measurement of morbidity at a moment in time, e.g., the number of cases of hemophilia in the country as of the first of the year.

Preventive Care

Health care which emphasizes prevention, early detection and early treatment, thereby reducing the costs of healthcare in the long run.

Primary Care

Basic or general health care usually rendered by general practitioners, family practitioners, internists, obstetricians and pediatricians -- who are often referred to as primary care practitioners or PCPs. Professional and related services administered by an internist, family practitioner, obstetrician-gynecologist or pediatrician in an ambulatory setting, with referral to secondary care specialists, as necessary.

Primary Care Physician (PCP)

A "generalist" such as a family practitioner, pediatrician, internist, or obstetrician. In a managed care organization, a primary care physician is accountable for the total health services of enrollees including referrals, procedures and hospitalization.

Primary Coverage

Plan that pays its expenses without consideration of other plans, under coordination of benefits rules.

Principal diagnosis

The medical condition that is ultimately determined to have caused a patient's admission to the hospital. The principal diagnosis is used to assign every patient to a diagnosis related group. This diagnosis may differ from the admitting and major diagnoses.

Prior Authorization

A formal process requiring a provider obtain approval to provide particular services or procedures before they are done. This is usually required for nonemergency services that are expensive or likely to be abused or overused. A managed care organization will identify those services and procedures that require prior authorization, without which the provider may not be compensated.

Provider

Usually refers to a hospital or doctor who "provides" care. A health plan, managed care company or insurance carrier is not a healthcare provider. Those entities are called payers. The lines are blurred sometimes, however, when providers create or manage health plans. At that point, a provider is also a payer. A payer can be provider if the payer owns or manages providers, as with some staff model HMOs.