Severity

Word used to describe the level of seriousness of a patient’s medical condition.
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The amount of damage that is (or that may be) inflicted by a loss or catastrophe. Sometimes quantified as a severity rate, which is a ratio relating the amount of loss to values exposed to loss during a specified period.

severity of illness (SOI)

1. Degree of disease or loss of function and mortality that a patient is experiencing before treatment. Severity of illness is used in the interpretation of performance data of facilities. 2. Variation in patients classified to the same diagnosis related group that includes age, systems involved in illness, stage of disease, complications, and response to treatment.

Severity Rate

(i) In worker’s’ compensation, the total days charged for work injuries per 1,000,000 employee-hours of exposure. Days charged include actual calendar days of disability resulting from temporary total injuries and scheduled numbers of days for death and permanent disabilities:
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Serious Injury Frequency Rate : Number or serious injuries per 1,000,000 employee hours worked, Serious injuries include all disabling injuries plus several categories of non-disabling injuries.

SF

1. HCPCS Level II modifier that may be used with CPT or HCPCS Level II codes indicating a second opinion ordered by a quality improvement organization (QIO), eligible for reimbursement at 100%. The usual Medicare deductible and/or coinsurance amounts are not applied. 2. See straightforward (SF) .