The combined discipline of psychology and economics that investigates what happens in markets in which some of the agents display human limitations and complications.

The science of utilization, distribution, and consumption of services and materials.

Economic aspects of the field of medicine, the medical profession, and health care. It includes the economic and financial impact of disease in general on the patient, the physician, society, or government.

Economic aspects related to the management and operation of a hospital.

The economic aspects of health care, its planning, and delivery. It includes government agencies and organizations in the private sector.

The expenses incurred by a hospital in providing care. The hospital costs attributed to a particular patient care episode include the direct costs plus an appropriate proportion of the overhead for administration, personnel, building maintenance, equipment, etc. Hospital costs are one of the factors which determine HOSPITAL CHARGES (the price the hospital sets for its services).

Hospitals engaged in educational and research programs, as well as providing medical care to the patients.

Large hospitals with a resident medical staff which provides continuous care to maternity, surgical and medical patients.

Statistical models of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, as well as of financial considerations. For the application of statistics to the testing and quantifying of economic theories MODELS, ECONOMETRIC is available.

Hospitals maintained by a university for the teaching of medical students, postgraduate training programs, and clinical research.

A method of comparing the cost of a program with its expected benefits in dollars (or other currency). The benefit-to-cost ratio is a measure of total return expected per unit of money spent. This analysis generally excludes consideration of factors that are not measured ultimately in economic terms. Cost effectiveness compares alternative ways to achieve a specific set of results.

Absolute, comparative, or differential costs pertaining to services, institutions, resources, etc., or the analysis and study of these costs.

Hospitals located in metropolitan areas.

Personnel who provide nursing service to patients in a hospital.

Economic aspects of the fields of pharmacy and pharmacology as they apply to the development and study of medical economics in rational drug therapy and the impact of pharmaceuticals on the cost of medical care. Pharmaceutical economics also includes the economic considerations of the pharmaceutical care delivery system and in drug prescribing, particularly of cost-benefit values. (From J Res Pharm Econ 1989;1(1); PharmacoEcon 1992;1(1))

Special hospitals which provide care for ill children.

The actual costs of providing services related to the delivery of health care, including the costs of procedures, therapies, and medications. It is differentiated from HEALTH EXPENDITURES, which refers to the amount of money paid for the services, and from fees, which refers to the amount charged, regardless of cost.

Economic aspects of the nursing profession.

The number of beds which a hospital has been designed and constructed to contain. It may also refer to the number of beds set up and staffed for use.

The term "United States" in a medical context often refers to the country where a patient or study participant resides, and is not a medical term per se, but relevant for epidemiological studies, healthcare policies, and understanding differences in disease prevalence, treatment patterns, and health outcomes across various geographic locations.

Government-controlled hospitals which represent the major health facility for a designated geographic area.

Hospitals which provide care for a single category of illness with facilities and staff directed toward a specific service.

The containment, regulation, or restraint of costs. Costs are said to be contained when the value of resources committed to an activity is not considered excessive. This determination is frequently subjective and dependent upon the specific geographic area of the activity being measured. (From Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed)

Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons.

A class of hospitals that includes profit or not-for-profit hospitals that are controlled by a legal entity other than a government agency. (Hospital Administration Terminology, AHA, 2d ed)

The period of confinement of a patient to a hospital or other health facility.

The obtaining and management of funds for hospital needs and responsibility for fiscal affairs.

A theoretical technique utilizing a group of related constructs to describe or prescribe how individuals or groups of people choose a course of action when faced with several alternatives and a variable amount of knowledge about the determinants of the outcomes of those alternatives.

Hospital department responsible for the administration and provision of immediate medical or surgical care to the emergency patient.

The prices a hospital sets for its services. HOSPITAL COSTS (the direct and indirect expenses incurred by the hospital in providing the services) are one factor in the determination of hospital charges. Other factors may include, for example, profits, competition, and the necessity of recouping the costs of uncompensated care.

Areawide planning for hospitals or planning of a particular hospital unit on the basis of projected consumer need. This does not include hospital design and construction or architectural plans.

Reductions in all or any portion of the costs of providing goods or services. Savings may be incurred by the provider or the consumer.

The confinement of a patient in a hospital.

Economic aspects of the dental profession and dental care.

Major administrative divisions of the hospital.

Special hospitals which provide care to the mentally ill patient.

The moral and ethical obligations or responsibilities of institutions.

Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations.

The process of making a selective intellectual judgment when presented with several complex alternatives consisting of several variables, and usually defining a course of action or an idea.

Those areas of the hospital organization not considered departments which provide specialized patient care. They include various hospital special care wards.

Compilations of data on hospital activities and programs; excludes patient medical records.

The intrinsic moral worth ascribed to a living being. (Bioethics Thesaurus)

Payment by a third-party payer in a sum equal to the amount expended by a health care provider or facility for health services rendered to an insured or program beneficiary. (From Facts on File Dictionary of Health Care Management, 1988)

The obtaining and management of funds for institutional needs and responsibility for fiscal affairs.

Decisions, usually developed by government policymakers, for determining present and future objectives pertaining to the health care system.

The concept concerned with all aspects of providing and distributing health services to a patient population.

Any materials used in providing care specifically in the hospital.

The branch of psychology concerned with the effects of group membership upon the behavior, attitudes, and beliefs of an individual.

The application of mathematical formulas and statistical techniques to the testing and quantifying of economic theories and the solution of economic problems.

Information centers primarily serving the needs of hospital medical staff and sometimes also providing patient education and other services.

The integration of epidemiologic, sociological, economic, and other analytic sciences in the study of health services. Health services research is usually concerned with relationships between need, demand, supply, use, and outcome of health services. The aim of the research is evaluation, particularly in terms of structure, process, output, and outcome. (From Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed)

The amount that a health care institution or organization pays for its drugs. It is one component of the final price that is charged to the consumer (FEES, PHARMACEUTICAL or PRESCRIPTION FEES).

Great Britain is not a medical term, but a geographical name for the largest island in the British Isles, which comprises England, Scotland, and Wales, forming the major part of the United Kingdom.

The process of accepting patients. The concept includes patients accepted for medical and nursing care in a hospital or other health care institution.

Research aimed at assessing the quality and effectiveness of health care as measured by the attainment of a specified end result or outcome. Measures include parameters such as improved health, lowered morbidity or mortality, and improvement of abnormal states (such as elevated blood pressure).

Economic sector concerned with the provision, distribution, and consumption of health care services and related products.

The administrative process of discharging the patient, alive or dead, from hospitals or other health facilities.

Hospital department which administers all departmental functions and the provision of surgical diagnostic and therapeutic services.

Those funds disbursed for facilities and equipment, particularly those related to the delivery of health care.

The assignment, to each of several particular cost-centers, of an equitable proportion of the costs of activities that serve all of them. Cost-center usually refers to institutional departments or services.

An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, or inborn or inherited characteristic, which, on the basis of epidemiologic evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent.

Organized services in a hospital which provide medical care on an outpatient basis.

Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group.

Hospitals controlled by the county government.

'Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over' refers to the maximum number of hospital beds equaling or exceeding 500 that are medically staffed and equipped to provide patient care and accommodation within a healthcare facility.

Higher plants that live primarily in terrestrial habitats, although some are secondarily aquatic. Most obtain their energy from PHOTOSYNTHESIS. They comprise the vascular and non-vascular plants.

Predetermined sets of questions used to collect data - clinical data, social status, occupational group, etc. The term is often applied to a self-completed survey instrument.

Theoretical construct used in applied mathematics to analyze certain situations in which there is an interplay between parties that may have similar, opposed, or mixed interests. In a typical game, decision-making "players," who each have their own goals, try to gain advantage over the other parties by anticipating each other's decisions; the game is finally resolved as a consequence of the players' decisions.

Use for articles on the investing of funds for income or profit.

The decision process by which individuals, groups or institutions establish policies pertaining to plans, programs or procedures.

The personal cost of acute or chronic disease. The cost to the patient may be an economic, social, or psychological cost or personal loss to self, family, or immediate community. The cost of illness may be reflected in absenteeism, productivity, response to treatment, peace of mind, or QUALITY OF LIFE. It differs from HEALTH CARE COSTS, meaning the societal cost of providing services related to the delivery of health care, rather than personal impact on individuals.

Planning for the equitable allocation, apportionment, or distribution of available health resources.

Amounts charged to the patient as payer for health care services.

The act of making a selection among two or more alternatives, usually after a period of deliberation.

Games designed to provide information on hypotheses, policies, procedures, or strategies.

Any infection which a patient contracts in a health-care institution.

Hospitals controlled by the city government.

The levels of excellence which characterize the health service or health care provided based on accepted standards of quality.

A professional society in the United States whose membership is composed of hospitals.

Integrated, computer-assisted systems designed to store, manipulate, and retrieve information concerned with the administrative and clinical aspects of providing medical services within the hospital.

Societal or individual decisions about the equitable distribution of available resources.

Hospital department that manages and supervises the dietary program in accordance with the patients' requirements.

Hospital department responsible for the administration and management of services provided for obstetric and gynecologic patients.

An infant during the first month after birth.

A measurement index derived from a modification of standard life-table procedures and designed to take account of the quality as well as the duration of survival. This index can be used in assessing the outcome of health care procedures or services. (BIOETHICS Thesaurus, 1994)

Private, not-for-profit hospitals that are autonomous, self-established, and self-supported.

Theoretical representations that simulate the behavior or activity of systems, processes, or phenomena. They include the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.

Federal program, created by Public Law 89-97, Title XVIII-Health Insurance for the Aged, a 1965 amendment to the Social Security Act, that provides health insurance benefits to persons over the age of 65 and others eligible for Social Security benefits. It consists of two separate but coordinated programs: hospital insurance (MEDICARE PART A) and supplementary medical insurance (MEDICARE PART B). (Hospital Administration Terminology, AHA, 2d ed and A Discursive Dictionary of Health Care, US House of Representatives, 1976)

Age as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or the effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from AGING, a physiological process, and TIME FACTORS which refers only to the passage of time.

Private hospitals that are owned or sponsored by religious organizations.

The total number of cases of a given disease in a specified population at a designated time. It is differentiated from INCIDENCE, which refers to the number of new cases in the population at a given time.

Systematic gathering of data for a particular purpose from various sources, including questionnaires, interviews, observation, existing records, and electronic devices. The process is usually preliminary to statistical analysis of the data.

Control of drug and narcotic use by international agreement, or by institutional systems for handling prescribed drugs. This includes regulations concerned with the manufacturing, dispensing, approval (DRUG APPROVAL), and marketing of drugs.

Branch of medicine concerned with the prevention and control of disease and disability, and the promotion of physical and mental health of the population on the international, national, state, or municipal level.

An act which constitutes the termination of a given instinctive behavior pattern or sequence.

A course or method of action selected, usually by a government, from among alternatives to guide and determine present and future decisions.

Activities concerned with governmental policies, functions, etc.

Special hospitals which provide care to women during pregnancy and parturition.

Persons admitted to health facilities which provide board and room, for the purpose of observation, care, diagnosis or treatment.

Auditory and visual instructional materials.

A system for classifying patient care by relating common characteristics such as diagnosis, treatment, and age to an expected consumption of hospital resources and length of stay. Its purpose is to provide a framework for specifying case mix and to reduce hospital costs and reimbursements and it forms the cornerstone of the prospective payment system.

Subsequent admissions of a patient to a hospital or other health care institution for treatment.

The amounts spent by individuals, groups, nations, or private or public organizations for total health care and/or its various components. These amounts may or may not be equivalent to the actual costs (HEALTH CARE COSTS) and may or may not be shared among the patient, insurers, and/or employers.

A generic concept reflecting concern with the modification and enhancement of life attributes, e.g., physical, political, moral and social environment; the overall condition of a human life.

Innovation and improvement of the health care system by reappraisal, amendment of services, and removal of faults and abuses in providing and distributing health services to patients. It includes a re-alignment of health services and health insurance to maximum demographic elements (the unemployed, indigent, uninsured, elderly, inner cities, rural areas) with reference to coverage, hospitalization, pricing and cost containment, insurers' and employers' costs, pre-existing medical conditions, prescribed drugs, equipment, and services.

Abstract standards or empirical variables in social life which are believed to be important and/or desirable.

The hospital department which is responsible for the organization and administration of nursing activities.

An interactive process whereby members of a community are concerned for the equality and rights of all.

Hospital facilities equipped to carry out investigative procedures.

Countries in the process of change with economic growth, that is, an increase in production, per capita consumption, and income. The process of economic growth involves better utilization of natural and human resources, which results in a change in the social, political, and economic structures.

Drugs used in the treatment of urogenital conditions and diseases such as URINARY INCONTINENCE; PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA; and ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION.

I'm sorry for any confusion, but 'England' is not a medical term and does not have a medical definition. England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, known for its rich history, cultural heritage, and contributions to medical science. However, in a medical context, it may refer to the location of a patient, healthcare provider, or research study, but it is not a term with a specific medical meaning.

The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.

Studies in which individuals or populations are followed to assess the outcome of exposures, procedures, or effects of a characteristic, e.g., occurrence of disease.

Cooperation among hospitals for the purpose of sharing various departmental services, e.g., pharmacy, laundry, data processing, etc.

The largest country in North America, comprising 10 provinces and three territories. Its capital is Ottawa.

Costs which are directly identifiable with a particular service.

Studies in which subsets of a defined population are identified. These groups may or may not be exposed to factors hypothesized to influence the probability of the occurrence of a particular disease or other outcome. Cohorts are defined populations which, as a whole, are followed in an attempt to determine distinguishing subgroup characteristics.

The hospital department responsible for the administration and provision of diagnostic and therapeutic services for the cardiac patient.

The scientific disciplines concerned with the embryology, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, etc., of the nervous system.

Governmental levies on property, inheritance, gifts, etc.

The concept pertaining to the health status of inhabitants of the world.

A system of medical care regulated, controlled and financed by the government, in which the government assumes responsibility for the health needs of the population.

The application of scientific knowledge to practical purposes in any field. It includes methods, techniques, and instrumentation.

Social and economic factors that characterize the individual or group within the social structure.

The number of new cases of a given disease during a given period in a specified population. It also is used for the rate at which new events occur in a defined population. It is differentiated from PREVALENCE, which refers to all cases, new or old, in the population at a given time.

Critical and exhaustive investigation or experimentation, having for its aim the discovery of new facts and their correct interpretation, the revision of accepted conclusions, theories, or laws in the light of newly discovered facts, or the practical application of such new or revised conclusions, theories, or laws. (Webster, 3d ed)

Studies in which the presence or absence of disease or other health-related variables are determined in each member of the study population or in a representative sample at one particular time. This contrasts with LONGITUDINAL STUDIES which are followed over a period of time.

The qualitative or quantitative estimation of the likelihood of adverse effects that may result from exposure to specified health hazards or from the absence of beneficial influences. (Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 1988)

'Hospital bed capacity, under 100' refers to the maximum number of hospital beds available for patient care that is less than one hundred, indicating a smaller healthcare facility or a specific unit within a larger hospital with limited bed resources.

Encouraging consumer behaviors most likely to optimize health potentials (physical and psychosocial) through health information, preventive programs, and access to medical care.

'Hospital Bed Capacity, 100 to 299' refers to the medical facility's capacity to accommodate patients, specifically within the range of 100 to 299 beds, which allows for a moderate-sized hospital setting, enabling it to provide care for a substantial number of patients while maintaining relatively close proximity between healthcare professionals and individuals under their supervision.

Substances that reduce the growth or reproduction of BACTERIA.

I'm sorry for any confusion, but the term "Maryland" is not a recognized medical term with a specific definition in the medical field. It refers to a state in the United States. If you have any questions about a medical condition or treatment, I would be happy to try and help answer those!

Hospitals which provide care for the military personnel and usually for their dependents.

A measure of inpatient health facility use based upon the average number or proportion of beds occupied for a given period of time.

Communication, in the sense of cross-fertilization of ideas, involving two or more academic disciplines (such as the disciplines that comprise the cross-disciplinary field of bioethics, including the health and biological sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences and law). Also includes problems in communication stemming from differences in patterns of language usage in different academic or medical disciplines.

The condition in which reasonable knowledge regarding risks, benefits, or the future is not available.

The science of breeding, feeding and care of domestic animals; includes housing and nutrition.

Disciplines concerned with the interrelationships of individuals in a social environment including social organizations and institutions. Includes Sociology and Anthropology.

Hospitals providing medical care to veterans of wars.

Consideration and concern for others, as opposed to self-love or egoism, which can be a motivating influence.

An approach of practicing medicine with the goal to improve and evaluate patient care. It requires the judicious integration of best research evidence with the patient's values to make decisions about medical care. This method is to help physicians make proper diagnosis, devise best testing plan, choose best treatment and methods of disease prevention, as well as develop guidelines for large groups of patients with the same disease. (from JAMA 296 (9), 2006)

'Animal hospitals' are specialized medical facilities primarily dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, and care of sick, injured, or adopted animals, providing advanced veterinary services, surgeries, and intensive care units, often staffed with trained veterinarians and support personnel.

I'm sorry for any confusion, but 'Europe' is a geographical continent and not a medical term; therefore, it doesn't have a medical definition.

A medical facility which provides a high degree of subspecialty expertise for patients from centers where they received SECONDARY CARE.

Statistical models which describe the relationship between a qualitative dependent variable (that is, one which can take only certain discrete values, such as the presence or absence of a disease) and an independent variable. A common application is in epidemiology for estimating an individual's risk (probability of a disease) as a function of a given risk factor.

The degree to which individuals are inhibited or facilitated in their ability to gain entry to and to receive care and services from the health care system. Factors influencing this ability include geographic, architectural, transportational, and financial considerations, among others.

Instructional materials used in teaching.

Pathologic processes that affect patients after a surgical procedure. They may or may not be related to the disease for which the surgery was done, and they may or may not be direct results of the surgery.

The physical space or dimensions of a facility. Size may be indicated by bed capacity.

A detailed review and evaluation of selected clinical records by qualified professional personnel for evaluating quality of medical care.

The statistical reproducibility of measurements (often in a clinical context), including the testing of instrumentation or techniques to obtain reproducible results. The concept includes reproducibility of physiological measurements, which may be used to develop rules to assess probability or prognosis, or response to a stimulus; reproducibility of occurrence of a condition; and reproducibility of experimental results.

The interaction of two or more persons or organizations directed toward a common goal which is mutually beneficial. An act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit, i.e., joint action. (From Random House Dictionary Unabridged, 2d ed)

Interfacility or intrahospital transfer of patients. Intrahospital transfer is usually to obtain a specific kind of care and interfacility transfer is usually for economic reasons as well as for the type of care provided.

The prediction or projection of the nature of future problems or existing conditions based upon the extrapolation or interpretation of existing scientific data or by the application of scientific methodology.

Statistical measures of utilization and other aspects of the provision of health care services including hospitalization and ambulatory care.

Any behavior caused by or affecting another individual, usually of the same species.

Hospital department responsible for the purchasing of supplies and equipment.

Health services required by a population or community as well as the health services that the population or community is able and willing to pay for.

The practice of sending a patient to another program or practitioner for services or advice which the referring source is not prepared to provide.

Levels within a diagnostic group which are established by various measurement criteria applied to the seriousness of a patient's disorder.

The legal relation between an entity (individual, group, corporation, or-profit, secular, government) and an object. The object may be corporeal, such as equipment, or completely a creature of law, such as a patent; it may be movable, such as an animal, or immovable, such as a building.

Norms, criteria, standards, and other direct qualitative and quantitative measures used in determining the quality of health care.

A country spanning from central Asia to the Pacific Ocean.

Hospital facilities which provide care for newborn infants.

The study of NUTRITION PROCESSES as well as the components of food, their actions, interaction, and balance in relation to health and disease.

The protection, preservation, restoration, and rational use of all resources in the total environment.

Health insurance plans intended to reduce unnecessary health care costs through a variety of mechanisms, including: economic incentives for physicians and patients to select less costly forms of care; programs for reviewing the medical necessity of specific services; increased beneficiary cost sharing; controls on inpatient admissions and lengths of stay; the establishment of cost-sharing incentives for outpatient surgery; selective contracting with health care providers; and the intensive management of high-cost health care cases. The programs may be provided in a variety of settings, such as HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS and PREFERRED PROVIDER ORGANIZATIONS.

Hospital units providing continuous surveillance and care to acutely ill patients.

An organized procedure carried out through committees to review admissions, duration of stay, professional services furnished, and to evaluate the medical necessity of those services and promote their most efficient use.

The reciprocal interaction of two or more persons.

Those factors which cause an organism to behave or act in either a goal-seeking or satisfying manner. They may be influenced by physiological drives or by external stimuli.

Operations carried out for the correction of deformities and defects, repair of injuries, and diagnosis and cure of certain diseases. (Taber, 18th ed.)

A set of techniques used when variation in several variables has to be studied simultaneously. In statistics, multivariate analysis is interpreted as any analytic method that allows simultaneous study of two or more dependent variables.

Precise and detailed plans for the study of a medical or biomedical problem and/or plans for a regimen of therapy.

Insurance providing coverage of medical, surgical, or hospital care in general or for which there is no specific heading.

I'm sorry for any confusion, but "Brazil" is not a medical term or concept, it is a country located in South America, known officially as the Federative Republic of Brazil. If you have any questions related to health, medicine, or science, I'd be happy to help answer those!

Hospital department responsible for the organization and administration of psychiatric services.

Services specifically designed, staffed, and equipped for the emergency care of patients.

The hospital department responsible for the administration and provision of diagnostic and therapeutic services for the cancer patient.

Hospital department which manages and provides the required housekeeping functions in all areas of the hospital.

Preferentially rated health-related activities or functions to be used in establishing health planning goals. This may refer specifically to PL93-641.

The observable response of a man or animal to a situation.

The non-susceptibility to infection of a large group of individuals in a population. A variety of factors can be responsible for herd immunity and this gives rise to the different definitions used in the literature. Most commonly, herd immunity refers to the case when, if most of the population is immune, infection of a single individual will not cause an epidemic. Also, in such immunized populations, susceptible individuals are not likely to become infected. Herd immunity can also refer to the case when unprotected individuals fail to contract a disease because the infecting organism has been banished from the population.

The smallest continent and an independent country, comprising six states and two territories. Its capital is Canberra.

A prediction of the probable outcome of a disease based on a individual's condition and the usual course of the disease as seen in similar situations.

Recording of pertinent information concerning patient's illness or illnesses.

Extensive collections, reputedly complete, of references and citations to books, articles, publications, etc., generally on a single subject or specialized subject area. Databases can operate through automated files, libraries, or computer disks. The concept should be differentiated from DATABASES, FACTUAL which is used for collections of data and facts apart from bibliographic references to them.

The degree to which the individual regards the health care service or product or the manner in which it is delivered by the provider as useful, effective, or beneficial.

Disease having a short and relatively severe course.

Conformity in fulfilling or following official, recognized, or institutional requirements, guidelines, recommendations, protocols, pathways, or other standards.

Evaluation undertaken to assess the results or consequences of management and procedures used in combating disease in order to determine the efficacy, effectiveness, safety, and practicability of these interventions in individual cases or series.

Activities and programs intended to assure or improve the quality of care in either a defined medical setting or a program. The concept includes the assessment or evaluation of the quality of care; identification of problems or shortcomings in the delivery of care; designing activities to overcome these deficiencies; and follow-up monitoring to ensure effectiveness of corrective steps.

Overall systems, traditional or automated, to provide medication to patients in hospitals. Elements of the system are: handling the physician's order, transcription of the order by nurse and/or pharmacist, filling the medication order, transfer to the nursing unit, and administration to the patient.

The interchange of goods or commodities, especially on a large scale, between different countries or between populations within the same country. It includes trade (the buying, selling, or exchanging of commodities, whether wholesale or retail) and business (the purchase and sale of goods to make a profit). (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed, p411, p2005 & p283)

Situations or conditions requiring immediate intervention to avoid serious adverse results.

The combining of administrative and organizational resources of two or more health care facilities.

A plan for collecting and utilizing data so that desired information can be obtained with sufficient precision or so that an hypothesis can be tested properly.

A geographic area defined and served by a health program or institution.

Any substances taken in by the body that provide nourishment.

The effort of two or more parties to secure the business of a third party by offering, usually under fair or equitable rules of business practice, the most favorable terms.