DEF

One of the abbreviation symbols used in the diagnostic code book titled International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) . It indicates a definition of disease or procedural term in the descriptions of the diagnoses.

Defense audit

Type of audit of hospital patient records that occurs when the insurance company requests a review of the patient’s records to verify charges. The insurance auditor may or may not meet with a hospital auditor, depending on the circumstances. Also see audit by request and random internal audit .

Defensive medicine

Physician’s policies and procedures such as complete documentation, overuse of tests, increased hospital admissions, or extended hospital stays that are done on each patient to guard against the risk of malpractice lawsuits or to provide a defense in case such a lawsuit occurs.

Deferral date

Month, day, and year after the first anniversary of a group insurance policy to which the insurance company puts off the payment of the policy’s first renewal premium. This might be done so that the full year’s experience assists the insurance company in calculating a new premium rate.

Deferred annuity

1. Stipulation in an annuity contract that provides for income payments to begin at some future date such as a specific number of years or at a specified age. 2. Annuity contract in which premiums are accumulated at interest but the annuity payment period is postponed (deferred) for one or more periods.
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UK: Whereby the annuity payments are deferred for a period of time, often to coincide with retirement. Compare with immediate annuities where the annuity payments commence immediately.

Deferred compensation

Rescheduling of an employee’s compensation to some future age or date. The employee agrees to receive payment at a later date for work performed before that date, for the purpose of retirement only or to provide a death benefit to the beneficiary of a pension plan.