Glossary

The time between when you sign up with a Medigap insurance company or Medicare health plan and when the coverage starts.

Certain individuals aged 65 or older or disabled, who are not otherwise entitled to Medicare and who opt to obtain coverage under Part A by paying a monthly premium.

Agreements between CMS and various insurers and employers to exchange Medicare information and group health plan eligibility information for the purpose of coordinating health benefit payments.

The process of facilitating an individual in the choice of or return to a suitable vocation. When necessary, assisting the patient to obtain training for such a vocation. Vocational rehabilitation can also mean to preparing an individual regardless of age, status (whether U.S. citizen or immigrant) or physical condition (disability other than ESRD) to cope emotionally, psychologically, and physically with changing circumstances in life, including remaining at school or returning to school, work, or work equivalent (homemaker).

A technical strategy for creating secure connections, or tunnels, over the Internet.

A vendor of EDI data communications and translation services.

A period of years that is considered as a unit for purposes of calculating the status of a trust fund.

The process by which the integrity and correctness of data are established. Validation processescan occur immediately after a data item is collected or after a complete set of data is collected.

Data that are aggregated by the capitated managed care entity (e.g. the number of primary care visits provided by the plan during the calendar year).

A public-private coalition for reducing health care administrative costs through the standardization and electronic exchange of health care data.