Glossary of Terms and Concepts
Term Definition
Admissions The number of patients, excluding newborns, accepted for inpatient service during the reporting period.
Average Daily Census The average number of people served on an inpatient basis on a single day during the reporting period; calculated by dividing the number of inpatient days by the number of days in the reporting period.
Average Length of Stay Refers to the average number of days a patient stays at the facility.
Bad Debt Amounts deemed uncollectible primarily because of a patient's unwillingness to pay as determined after collection efforts.
Births The total number of infants born in the hospital during the reporting period.  Births do not include infants transferred from other institutions, and are excluded from admission and discharge figures.
Charity Care Free or discounted care provided to patients who cannot pay, who are not eligible for public programs, and who meet certain financial criteria in accordance with hospital policy (e.g., income below a certain threshold of the federal poverty level). Charity care includes services for which hospitals neither received nor expected to receive payment because they had determined the patient's inability to pay. 
Church Operated Hospitals controlled by not-for-profit religious organizations.
Clinic Visits A visit by a patient to an outpatient clinic or other outpatient unit for examination, diagnosis, and treatment.  Does not include outpatient surgeries.
Community Benefits As defined by the Illinois Community Benefits Act, programs and services provided by hospitals that address community health needs and for which hospitals do not receive payment to cover their costs.
Community Hospital All nonfederal, short-term general, and special hospitals whose facilities and services are available to the public.  (Special hospitals include obstetrics and gynecology; eye, ear, nose, and throat; rehabilitation; orthopedic; and other individually described specialty services.)  Short-term general and special children's hospitals are also consider to be community hospitals.
Discharges Number of adult and pediatric inpatients discharged from the hospital during the reporting period including discharges from the routine and specialized areas of the hospital but excluding births and transfers between units.
Employee Benefit Expense Fringe benefits and other non-payroll expenditures.
Employees, Full-Time Number of persons on the hospital payroll at the end of the reporting period who work at least 35 hours per week.
Employees, Part-Time Number of persons on the hospital payroll at the end of the reporting period who work less than 35 hours per week.
Employees, Total Number of persons on the hospital payroll at the end of the reporting period.
Expenses, Total Includes all expenses for the reporting period including payroll, non-payroll, bad debt, and all nonoperating expenses.
Full-Time Equivalent Calculated by adding the number of full-time employees to one-half the number of part-time employees.
Government Owned Controlled by an agency of state, county, or city government.
Gross Patient Revenue Revenue for services to patients at full established rates.
Gross Revenue, Medicaid Gross patient revenue from Medicaid.
Gross Revenue, Medicare Gross patient revenue from Medicare.
Gross Revenue, Other Government Gross patient revenue from government programs other than Medicare and Medicaid.
Gross Revenue, Other Non Government Gross patient revenue from other non government sources.
Gross Revenue, Self Pay Gross patient revenue from individuals not covered by medical insurance.
Gross Revenue, Third-Party Gross patient revenue from commercial insurance and self-administered plans, including Blue Cross plans, HMOs, and other managed care plans.
Hospital Unit The hospital portion of the facility.  Excludes any nursing-home-type unit or facility.
Inpatient Days The number of adult and pediatric days of care, excluding newborn days of care, rendered during the entire reporting period.
Investor Owned Investor owned, for-profit hospitals are those controlled on a for-profit basis by an individual, partnership, or profit-making corporation.
Labor Expenses The sum of payroll expenses and employee benefits.
Large Urban Refers to hospitals located in Metropolitan Statistical Areas with greater than one million people and includes the following counties: Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Jersey, Kane, Kendall, Lake, Macoupin, Madison, McHenry, Monroe, Saint Clair, and Will.
Long-Term Care A unit/facility owned or operated by the hospital that primarily offers skilled nursing, intermediate care, personal care, or sheltered/residential care to a majority of all admissions.
Medicaid A state and federally funded program that pays for medical services to low-income residents who meet certain requirements.
Medicare A federally funded program that pays for medical services to residents over age 65 and the permanently disabled.
Occupancy Rate The average proportion of staffed beds occupied by inpatients during the reporting period; calculated by dividing the number of staffed beds by the average daily census.  This rate is an estimate since it is based on the number of staffed beds at the end of the reporting period and does not reflect changes in the number of staffed beds during the period.
Operating Revenue, Total Net realizable amounts received from patient care services and other activities associated with the normal day-to-day operations of the facility.
Other Not for Profit Hospitals that are nongovernment, nonprofit are controlled by not-for-profit organizations.
Other Urban Refers to hospitals located in Metropolitan Statistical Areas with a total population less than 1,000,000 and includes the following counties: Boone, Champaign, Ford, Henry, Kankakee, Macon, Marshall, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Peoria, Piatt, Rock Island, Sangamon, Stark, Tazwell, Vermilion, Winnebago, and Woodford.
Outpatient Visits A visit by a patient who is not lodged in the hospital while receiving medical, dental, or other services.
Outpatient Visits Per Day Average number of outpatient visits per day of the reporting period.  Calculated by dividing the number of outpatient visits by the number of days in the reporting period.
Payroll Expenses All amounts paid to employees in the form of salaries and wages.
Perinatal Care Health care services provided to mothers and newborns from pregnancy through the first month of the infant's life.
Registered Nurse A nurse who has graduated from an approved school of nursing and who is currently registered by the state.
Rural Refers to hospitals not located in a Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Surgeries, Inpatient Surgical services provided to patients who remain in the hospital overnight.
Surgeries, Outpatient Surgical services provided to patients who do not remain in the hospital overnight.
Total Facility Includes the hospital operation and any nursing-home-type unit or facility.
Trauma Hospital A facility to provide emergency and specialized intensive care to critically ill and injured patients.
Uncompensated Care Care given for which payment is not received, or for which only a portion of the cost is reimbursed.
Prepared by: IHA Health Information Department
datagroup@ihastaff.org
5/20/2008