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U-V-W-X-Y-Z Bottom Index

uncompensated care — Service provided by physicians and hospitals for which no payment is received from the patient or from third-party payers. Some costs for these services may be covered through cost-shifting. Not all uncompensated care results from charity care. It also includes bad debts from persons who are not classified as charity cases but who are unable or unwilling to pay their bill.

underinsured — People with public or private insurance policies that do not cover all necessary health care services, resulting in out-of-pocket expenses that exceed their ability to pay.

uninsured — People who lack public or private health insurance.

utilization — Use; commonly examined in terms of patterns or rates of use of a single service or type of service, e.g., hospital care, physician visits, prescription drugs. Use is also expressed in rates per unit of population at risk for a given period.

utilization review — Evaluation of the necessity, appropriateness, and efficiency of the use of health care services, procedures, and facilities. In a hospital, this includes review of the appropriateness of admissions, services ordered and provided, length of a stay, and discharge practices, both on a concurrent and retrospective basis. Utilization review can be done by a peer review group, or a public agency.

violence against youth — An approach that highlights the devasting effects of violence against youth. Youth—above all other age groups—are most vulnerable to violence. Handguns are the number one killer of youth in California. 

vital statistics — Statistics relating to births (natality), deaths (mortality), marriages, health, and disease (morbidity). Vital statistics for the United States are published by the National Center for Health Statistics.

wellness — A dynamic state of physical, mental, and social well-being; a way of life which equips the individual to realize the full potential of his/her capabilities and to overcome and compensate for weaknesses; a lifestyle which recognizes the importance of nutrition, physical fitness, stress reduction, and self-responsibility. Wellness has been viewed as the result of four key factors over which an individual has varying degrees of control: human biology, environment, health care organization (system), and lifestyle.

women-centered health care — Health care that takes into account the needs of women and creates an environment that is appealing and welcoming to women and girls is considered women-centered health care.

U-V-W-X-Y-Z Top Index