Glossary of Terms

L

Laboratory Services
Supervises the scientific testing and research of blood samples, human tissues, etc. The laboratory is usually divided into sections, including Clinical Chemistry, Cytopathology, and Microbiology. Ensures that lab reports are completed according to deadlines and maintains quality control standards in the lab.

M

M.I.S. Director
See Data Processing/MIS.

Managed Care Coordinator
Coordinates insurance/payment of the patient's account for those patients using Managed Care Companies (i.e. Health Maintenance Organization like FHP ). This is accomplished by increasing beneficial cost sharing, controlling inpatient admissions and lengths of stay, establishing cost-sharing incentives for outpatient surgery, selectively contracting with healthcare providers, and directly managing high cost health care cases.

Manager/Supervisor - Pharmacy
Pharmacy Manager/Supervisor works as the head over the staff. In charge of staff management.

Market Research
Oversees the gathering and evaluation of data regarding consumers' preferences for products and services and the moving of goods and services from the producer to the consumer.

Marketing Information Manager
Maintains marketing statistics, consumer response records, etc.

Marketing/Public Relations/Sales
A system of research, planning, promoting, and distributing needed and wanted services to both present and potential customers. This data is then translated into a format suitable for advertising and public relations. Influences the organization's image through non-aid channels of the media.

Materials Management/Purchasing
Buys hospital equipment and other supplies, including instruments for the medical staff. Receives the products, then distributes/delivers them to the proper hospital departments. Also known as Procurement department.

Maternal Health Programs
Deals with labor delivery, newborn care up to age one, and prenatal care. This department works closely with the OB/GYN department. Organizes health and social services for pregnant women, mothers, and their children.

Medical Affairs/Medical Director/Physician Relations/Chief of Staff
VP of Medical Affairs: Usually a physician but hired by hospital administration as opposed to physician recruitment department. Liaison between hospital and medical staff. Responsible for day to day operations of both Medical staff Office and Medical Affairs Office. Resolves quality assurance issues. Physician Relations: Resolves minor physician complaints (i.e. it their mail is not being delivered to them). Other duties include orientation of physicians to hospital, physician recruitment, and quality assurance issues. The Medical Director and Chief of Medicine (as Opposed to Chief of Internal Medicine) would also fall under this category.

Medical Assistant
An allied health professional who assists physicians in their offices or other medical settings and who performs a broad range of administrative and clinical duties including, but not limited to: scheduling and receiving patients, preparing and maintaining medical records, performing basic secretarial skills, taking patient histories and vital signs, assisting the physician with examinations and treatments, etc.

Medical Librarian
Responsible for planning, organizing, and delegating all activities necessary to provide library collections and services to meet the needs of medical staff and employees of medical center and for materials and information needed for patient care education.

Medical Mailing List
A customized list of medical professionals used for marketing to medical professionals; includes physicians, hospitals decision makers, pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants and dentists; can be customized by title, specialty, geography or many other details.

Medical Records
The department responsible for the cataloging, maintenance, processing, and control of patient hospital medical records. Responsible for the statistical and qualitative preparation and analysis of the information in the medical records to aid in the evaluation of patient care. Manages personnel, equipment and budgets for the department. Oversees Coding and Transcription departments.

Medical Staff Coordinator/Director of Medical Education
An organizer or secretary for the medical staff office. Takes minutes of medical executive board meetings, responsible for credentialing new staff physicians. Organizes continuing medical education for physicians on staff.

Medicare Coordinator
In charge of processing Medicare claims.

Medicare/Medicaid
Medicare is the federal program that reimburses hospitals and physicians for health care provided to qualifying people aged 65 years and older, persons eligible for Social Security disability payments for at least two years, and certain workers and their dependents who need kidney transplants or dialysis. Medicaid is the medical assistance program that reimburses hospitals and physicians for providing care to needy and low income people who cannot finance their own medical expenses.

Merchandise Planning Manager
Responsible for planning the layout of the actual site and merchandise. Includes store fixtures, wall, floor, & show cases, pricing, shelf management, store protection, security, etc.

Merchandise, Vice President
Responsible for the overall management of the merchandising departments, store layout, and merchandise management.

Minimum Data Set Coordinator
This person coordinates, in health care, a widely agreed upon set of terms and definitions constituting a core of data acquired for medical records and used for developing statistics suitable for diverse types of analyses and users. Such sets have been developed for ambulatory care, hospital care, and long term care.

Miscellaneous
Any title/department that does not fit into one of the above categories may be entered using this title code. The word miscellaneous is replaced with the official title of the person.