Retirement plan in which a specific period of retirement income (dollar amount or percentage) is credited to an employer for each year of service with the employer.

Amount added to, or subtracted from, the hospital input price index to yield the prospective payment system (PPS) update factor.

Standard measurement of medical care on a referral (e.g., inpatient hospital stays are measured in days, mental health or office visits are measured in units).

International organization dedicated to the elimination or simplification of procedural barriers to international commerce.

International electronic data interchange (EDI) format. Interactive X12 transactions use the EDIFACT message syntax. Also see Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (EDIFACT) .

For Medicare coverage, this includes the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and America Samoa. Medical services provided on a ship would include the territorial waters that adjoin the land areas of the United States.

National average fee-for-service dollar amount expense for each Medicare beneficiary that is calculated yearly by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary.

Legally recognized compendium of standards for drugs, published by the United States Pharmacopeia Convention, Inc., and revised periodically. It includes assays and tests for the determination of strength, quality, and purity. Another book that has information not in the USP is the National Formulary (NF) . Also see compendium and Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States .

Federal government agency founded in 1798 that is in charge of the control of all people and immigrants arriving from foreign countries and products that might affect the health of people in America. It sets standards for domestic handling and processing of food and manufacture of serums, vaccines, cosmetics, and drugs. It is the uniformed service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. USPHS-commissioned officers serve their country by controlling the spread of contagious diseases such as smallpox and yellow fever, conducting important biomedical research, regulating the food and drug supply, providing health care to underserved groups, and supplying medical assistance in the aftermath of disasters.