Continuous home care day

In hospice cases, this is a day on which the patient is not in an inpatient facility and elects to receive nursing care on an uninterrupted basis at home. This type of care is furnished during brief periods of crisis and only as needed to maintain a terminally ill patient at home.

continuous quality improvement (CQI)

Process that continually monitors program performance. When a quality problem is identified, CQI develops a revised approach to that problem and monitors implementation and success of the revised approach. The process includes involvement at all stages by all organizations, which are affected by the problem and/or involved in implementing the revised approach. Sometimes called total quality management (TQM) and quality improvement (QI).

Continuous service

When a member leaves his occupational pension scheme but keeps his benefits in the fund, and subsequently resumes membership, the periods of service before and after the break may be aggregated. Aggregation also occurs when an employee moves from one employer to another employer in the same scheme.

Continuum of care

Medical care of all levels and intensity such as skilled nursing care and intermediate care provided to frail and chronically ill patients in a variety of settings (e.g., hospital facilities, nursing homes) over an extended period of time. Services also focus on the social, residential, rehabilitative, and supportive needs of individuals. Also see episode of care (EOC).