Dictionary

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Consumer ParticipationTermPatient and Public Involvement, Consumer Involvement

The involvement of patients, carers, and the public in assessment and health policy decision-making processes.

Consumer Price IndexTermCPI, Consumer Price Measure

A measure of the average change over time in prices paid by consumers for a fixed basket of goods and services.

Consumer SurplusConceptConsumer's Surplus, Buyer Surplus

Consumer surplus is the most that buyers would pay for a good or service minus what they pay, measured as the area under the demand curve above the price.

Consumer-Directed Health PlanTermCDHP, High-Deductible Consumer Plan

A plan design combining a high-deductible policy with a tax-advantaged savings account, giving enrollees greater direct financial responsibility over spending.

Contact CoverageTermPopulation Contact Reach, First-Contact Uptake

A measure of the proportion of a target population that has received at least one contact with a specific service, an early coverage step.

Contact RateConceptContact Frequency, Mixing Rate

Contact rate is the expected number of defined, potentially transmission-relevant encounters an individual has per unit time in an infectious-disease model.

Contact TracingTermExposure Tracing, Case Contact Follow-Up

A public health practice identifying, assessing, and managing individuals who may have been exposed to an infectious disease, interrupting further transmission.

Content ValidityTermContent Soundness, Domain Representativeness

The degree to which an instrument's items comprehensively and appropriately represent the full domain of the concept being measured.

ContextualizationTermContextualisation, Evidence Adaptation to Setting

The process of interpreting and adapting external evidence to reflect the specific clinical, economic, and organisational context of a decision-making body.

Contingency FeeTermContingent Fee, Recovery-Based Fee

A payment structure in which a contractor is compensated based on a percentage of funds recovered through auditing, rather than a fixed fee.

Contingent ValuationConceptCV Survey, Stated WTP Survey

Contingent valuation is a stated-preference method that uses a structured hypothetical market to estimate how much people are willing to pay for a benefit or willing to accept as compensation for a loss.

Contingent Valuation MethodConceptCVM, Stated-Preference Valuation

The contingent valuation method elicits a monetary value for a specified nonmarket health-related change by asking people what they would pay or accept in a carefully described hypothetical scenario.

Continuing Care RetirementTermCCRC, Continuing Care Community

A residential model combining independent living, assisted living, and nursing care in one community, letting residents change care level without relocating.

Continuity DesignTermCoverage Continuity Provisions, Transition Protection

Provisions within an insurance plan intended to ensure enrollees maintain uninterrupted coverage and access to existing providers when transitioning between plans.

Continuity of CareTermCare Continuity, Continuous Care Relationship

The degree to which a patient experiences consistent, coordinated care over time, through an ongoing provider relationship or effective information transfer.

Continuous CoverageTermUninterrupted Coverage, Gap-Free Coverage

A period during which an individual has maintained insurance without a significant gap, sometimes a qualifying condition for guaranteed issue rights.

Continuous Glucose MonitoringTermCGM, Real-Time Glucose Monitoring

A diabetes technology continuously tracking blood glucose through a sensor, giving more comprehensive data than periodic fingerstick testing.

Continuous ModelConceptContinuous-Time Model, Differential-Equation Model

A continuous model is a decision model run in continuous time rather than fixed cycles, so health events can occur at any moment, governed by rates.

Continuous Quality ImprovementTermCQI, Kaizen in Healthcare

An organisational philosophy emphasising ongoing, incremental efforts to improve healthcare processes and outcomes, rather than a one-time project.

Contract TheoryConceptTheory of Contracts, Agency Contract Design

Contract theory studies how contracts, such as provider payment rules, can align incentives when actions or information are hidden or cannot be verified.

Contract YearTermPlan Year, Policy Year

The defined twelve-month period over which specific insurance plan terms, such as premiums and benefits, remain in effect before renewal.

ContraindicationTermTreatment Exclusion Criterion, Do-Not-Use Condition

A specific patient condition or characteristic making a particular treatment inadvisable or potentially harmful for them to receive.

Control ArmTermTrial Control Group, Comparison Arm

The trial group receiving a comparator treatment, such as a placebo or standard of care, against which the experimental intervention is compared.

Control ChartTermShewhart Chart, SPC Chart

A statistical tool monitoring a process over time using calculated control limits, distinguishing normal variation from a genuine, significant change.

Control Chart AnalysisTermControl Chart Interpretation, SPC Interpretation

The process of interpreting a control chart to determine whether observed variation reflects normal fluctuation or a significant change requiring action.

Control VariatesConceptControl Variate Method, Variance Reduction via Controls

Control variates is a Monte Carlo variance-reduction method that adjusts a simulated estimate using a correlated auxiliary quantity with an independently known expectation.

Controllable CostTermManageable Cost, Manager-Influenced Cost

A cost that a specific manager or department can influence through their decisions, unlike costs imposed by outside factors.

Convenience OutcomeTermConvenience Endpoint, Administration-Burden Outcome

A clinical outcome measure capturing the ease or burden of a treatment's administration, such as dosing frequency, distinct from its clinical efficacy.

ConvergenceConceptIterative Stabilisation, Algorithm Settling

Convergence is the property of an iterative sequence, numerical approximation, estimator, or simulation output approaching a defined limiting value or stable target as iterations, resolution, or sample size increase.

Convergence AssessmentTermConvergence Diagnostics, MCMC Diagnostics

An evaluation of whether an iterative algorithm, such as a Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation, has run enough iterations to produce stable results.

Convergent ValidityConceptConvergent Validation

Convergent validity is evidence that a health measure correlates, as predicted in advance, with other measures of the same or a closely related construct.

Conversion FactorConceptCF

Conversion factor (CF) is the money amount per relative value unit that turns fee schedule relative values, such as Medicare RVUs, into payment amounts.

Cook's DistanceConceptCook Distance, Influence Statistic

Cook's distance measures how much an ordinary-least-squares regression's fitted values change when one observation is removed, scaled by residual variation and model size.

Cooling Off InterventionTermCooling-Off Period, Mandatory Delay

A policy mechanism imposing a mandatory delay before a decision becomes final, meant to reduce impulsive choices made under pressure.

Coordinated Care ModelTermCare Coordination Model, Integrated Delivery Model

A delivery approach deliberately organising patient care activities among multiple participants to facilitate appropriate, timely service delivery across settings.

Coordination DesignTermCoordination Structure, Coordination Blueprint

The specific structural and process choices in designing a care coordination model, covering staffing, information systems, and accountability mechanisms.

Coordination PeriodTermCOB Period, Dual-Coverage Period

A defined timeframe during which two overlapping insurance sources, such as an employer plan and Medicare, determine which pays first.

Copas ModelConceptCopas Selection Model, Publication Bias Model

The Copas model is a selection model for publication bias in meta-analysis that re-estimates the pooled effect under assumed rates of non-publication.

Copay AmountTermCopayment Amount, Fixed Copay Charge

The specific fixed sum an insured person must pay for a particular covered service under a copayment cost-sharing arrangement.

CopaymentTermCopay, Fixed Fee Cost-Share

A cost-sharing form in which an insured person pays a fixed sum for a covered service, unlike coinsurance's percentage-based payment.

COPD EconomicsTermChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Economics, COPD Cost-Effectiveness

The application of health economic evaluation to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, comparing inhaled medication, pulmonary rehabilitation, and severe-case interventions.

Coping StrategyTermHousehold Financial Response, Expense Coping

An action a household takes to manage the financial burden of a healthcare expense, such as borrowing, selling assets, or reducing spending.

Copy ReferenceTermCopy-Reference Imputation, Reference-Based Imputation

A missing data method, often used after treatment discontinuation, assuming a patient's future outcomes follow the trajectory observed in the reference arm.

Core MeasureTermCore Quality Measure, Standardised Care Indicator

A standardised, evidence-based process of care indicator established as a minimum quality expectation for a specific clinical condition.

Core Measure ComplianceTermCore Measure Adherence, Core-Measure Conformance

The degree to which an organisation adheres to a standardised set of evidence-based care processes established as minimum quality expectations.

Core Value MessageTermCentral Value Claim, Key Value Message

The central, most important claim a manufacturer wishes to communicate regarding a technology's value proposition, forming the foundation for further materials.

Coronary Artery Bypass GraftingTermCABG, Bypass Surgery

A surgical procedure rerouting blood flow around blocked coronary arteries using a graft vessel taken from elsewhere, treating severe coronary artery disease.

Coronary Artery Disease EconomicsTermCAD Economics, Ischaemic Heart Disease Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to narrowed or blocked coronary arteries, comparing medication, percutaneous intervention, and surgical revascularisation.

Coronary Disease EconomicsTermCoronary Heart Disease Economics, CHD Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to conditions from narrowed or blocked coronary arteries, covering prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Corporate Integrity AgreementTermCIA, Integrity Agreement

A binding agreement between a healthcare organisation and a government oversight agency requiring compliance measures and ongoing monitoring, typically after enforcement.