uniform hospital discharge data set (UHDDS)

Collection of consistently defined, classified data that describe the medical content of a patient’s bill. For acute-care and short-term facilities, UHDDS is required by the federal government for Medicare and Medicaid discharged patients. UHDDS contains the patient’s age, sex, and ICD-9-CM diagnoses and procedures. The Uniform Hospital Discharge Abstract is used to collect the UHDDS. Assignment to a diagnosis-related group (DRG) is made from this data set by a fiscal intermediary.

Uniform Individual Accident and Sickness Policy Provisions Act

Insurance policy regulations created by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners establishing provisions required in all individual health insurance policies. These provisions have been adopted by all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They include use of basic contract language, situations in which changes can be made to the policy, guidelines on how a beneficiary can be changed, submission of proof of loss, reinstatement of the policy, and grace period.

Uniform Simultaneous Death Act

Federal legislation passed by some states in the United States to alleviate problems of simultaneous death unless the will specifies what to do under simultaneous death. If the insured and beneficiary die together, the insurance company pays the secondary or contingent beneficiary. If the policy owner has not named a secondary beneficiary, the payment goes to the insured’s estate.