Skip to main content

Glossary

A quick reference to key terms used throughout this site.

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
XYZ

A

  • Active Grant – A grant whose project period end date occurs after the date of a specific report.
  • Ambulatory Surgical Centers – Modern health care facilities focused on providing same-day surgical care, including diagnostic and preventive procedures.
  • Analyzer Tools – Many federal programs provide benefits to people that live or work in areas HRSA designates as isolated or medically vulnerable. Analyzer tools help users quickly find these designated areas and determine their eligibility to apply for benefits.
  • Application Programming Interface (API) – Set of routines, protocols and tools that specify how software components should interact.
  • Area Health Resources Files (AHRF) – Data that contains information on health facilities, health professions, measures of resource scarcity, health status, economic activity, health training programs, and socioeconomic and environmental characteristics.
  • Awarded Grant – Funds provided by HRSA to an organizational entity or individual to carry out a project or activity.

B

  • Behavioral Health – is the umbrella term for mental health and substance use conditions. It generally refers to mental health and substance use disorders, life stressors and crises, and stress-related physical symptoms. Behavioral health care refers to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of those conditions.
  • Behavioral Health Integration – is the incorporation of behavioral health services and supports (like behavioral health services, provider training) into physical health, school-based, social service, and other settings. Behavioral Health Integration can also be bidirectional.
  • Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) – The Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) improves the health of people who need it most. BHW offers scholarship, loan, and loan repayment programs to individuals and grants to organizations, strengthening the health workforce and connecting skilled health care providers to communities in need.

C

  • Common Accounting Number (CAN) – Seven digit code representing several data elements associated with a financial transaction within HHS’ accounting system to facilitate tracking of HRSA dollars.
  • Critical Access Hospital (CAH) – Legislation enacted as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 which authorized states to establish a State Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program under which certain facilities participating in Medicare can become CAHs. Unlike facilities such as Medicare Dependent Hospitals and Sole Community Hospitals, CAHs represent a separate provider type with their own Medicare Conditions of Participation and payment method.

D

  • Data Mart – A database or collection of databases that focuses on a particular subject.
  • Data Refresh – Act of obtaining data from a source system to access the most current data at a given point in time and incorporate that data into an existing database. The HDW regularly posts its refresh schedule as refresh dates are subject to change.
  • Donation Service Area – The geographic area designated by CMS that is served by one organ procurement organization (OPO), one or more transplant centers, and one or more donor hospitals.

F

  • Feature Service – Service that allows a user to serve features over the Internet and provide the symbology to use when displaying those features. Clients can execute queries to get features and perform edits that can be applied to the server.
  • Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-certified facilities that primarily engage in providing services typically furnished in an outpatient clinic. Many, but not all, HRSA Health Center Service Delivery Sites are also FQHCs.
  • Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Code – U. S. Government issued codes that identify the names of states and counties and other entities treated as equivalent legal and/or statistical subdivision of the 50 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, and the possessions and freely associated territories of the United States.

G

  • Geocode – Application of U.S. Postal standards to an address and identifying the latitude and longitude of that address so that it can be displayed on a map.
  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – System which integrates hardware, software, and data to manage, analyze, and display geographically referenced information.
  • Geoprocessing – A GIS operation used to manipulate spatial data. A typical operation takes an input dataset, performs an operation on that dataset, and returns the result of the operation as an output dataset.
  • Grant Abstract – A summary of the proposed project that is provided as part of the grant application.
  • Grantee site – Services may be provided at a grantee’s office address, or at a separate site or satellite site.

H

  • HRSA-Funded Health Center – Health centers are local clinics that can treat your medical, dental, and other health care needs. They are community-based and led in part by patients at the health center. Health centers focus on meeting the needs of the people and the areas they serve.
  • Health Center Program Look-Alike – Health Center Program Look-alikes meet all the Health Center Program requirements, but they do not receive program funding.
  • HHS Region – HHS hosts ten Regional Offices. Regional Directors ensure the Department maintains close contact with state, local and tribal partners and addresses the needs of communities and individuals served through HHS programs and policies. HRSA data can be searched by HHS region.
  • Hospice – Hospices provide specialized care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments.
  • Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) – A federal designation used to identify areas, populations, and facilities that have a shortage of either primary care, dental, or mental health providers. Measured by the ratio of available discipline-specific providers to the population of the area, a specific population group, or the number of those served by the facility.

I

  • Indicator – Statistical values that taken together point to a trend.
  • Intermediate Care Facilities for individuals with Mental Retardation (ICF/MR) – An optional Medicaid benefit that enables states to provide comprehensive and individualized health care and rehabilitation services to individuals to promote their functional status and independence. Although it is an optional benefit, all states offer it, if only as an alternative to home and community-based services waivers for individuals at the ICF/MR level of care.

K

  • Key Performance Indicator (KPI) – Business metric used to evaluate factors that are critical to the success of an organization.

L

  • Locator Tools – HDW tools that enable users to search for health care and other HRSA-supported programs and services in a specific geographic area.

M

  • Map Gallery – HDW tool that provides quick access to pre-formatted versions of frequently-requested maps supplied in PDF format and regenerated nightly.
  • Map Service – Web-based method for end users to access geographic (map) data. The HDW provides an ArcIMS feature service, which is a specific type of map service. The feature service provides access to the spatial data in the data warehouse that originate from HRSA, as well as additional layers, such as state and county boundaries, that help establish the geographic context of HRSA-specific data.
  • Measure – Dimensions, quantity, or capacity as ascertained by comparison with a standard.
  • Medically Underserved Area/Population (MUA/P) – MUAs may be whole county or a group of contiguous counties, a group of county or civil divisions or a group of urban census tracts in which residents have a shortage of personal health services; MUPs may include groups of persons who face economic, cultural or linguistic barriers to health care
  • Mental Health – is a key component of overall health that includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is a state of well-being that enables individuals to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their communities. Mental health is closely linked to physical health.
  • Meta Data – Describes how, when, and by whom a particular set of data was collected, and how the data is formatted.

N

  • National Health Service Corps (NHSC) – HRSA administrated program designed to build healthy communities by supporting qualified health care providers through scholarships and loan repayment in exchange for working in areas of the U.S. with limited access to care.
  • National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Approved Sites – A site located in a HPSA that provides primary care medical, dental, or mental and behavioral health services that has submitted a National Health Service Corps Site Application and has met all applicable eligibility requirements as set forth in the National Health Service Corps Site Agreement and National Health Service Corps Site Reference Guide.
  • National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Full Time Equivalent (FTE) – NHSC health professionals must work a specified minimum number of hours per week at the NHSC-approved site(s) within the profession for which the applicant applied and was awarded. NHSC defines full-time equivalent as at least 40 hours/week, for a minimum of 45 weeks each service year.
  • National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN) – The National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN) represents the longest running survey of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. The survey, published every four years, examines the characteristics of registered nurses and their experiences in nursing.
  • National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners (NSSNP) – A survey conducted in 2012 by HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce which provides statistics on U.S. Nurse Practitioners.
  • Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program – A Loan Repayment Program that pays up to 85% of unpaid nursing education debt in exchange for at least two years of service at an eligible health care facility to help address shortages of nurses across the country.
  • Nurse Corps Scholarship Program – A scholarship program that provides eligible nursing students funding for tuition, fees, and other educational costs, along with a monthly stipend. In return, after graduation, participants work at an eligible health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses.
  • Nursing Facilities – A Nursing Facility is one of many settings for long term care, including home and community-based services or other services outside of an institution, provided by Medicaid or other state agencies.

O

  • Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) – A contracted organization designated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and responsible for the procurement of organs for transplantation and the promotion of organ donation. OPOs serve as the vital link between patients who may donate organs and recipient. OPOs are responsible for the identification of patients who may donate, and the evaluation, approach, authorization, management, surgical procurement, preservation, and transportation of organs for transplantation.
  • Organ Transplant Program – The organ-specific facility within a transplant center. A transplant center may have programs for the transplantation of hearts, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreata, pancreas islets, and/or intestines. Organs available for transplantation are listed under “Programs” in the Organ Transplant Program Directory Information report which is accessible through the HDW Data Explorer.

P

  • Point – A precise location or site that is standardized and geocoded.
  • Polygon – Shape user may select to get information about the points falling within the defined area.

Q

  • Quick Map – Selection of predefined maps designed for on-screen viewing. The maps feature data on grants, communities in need, and HRSA-supported health care resources.

R

  • Rich Site Summary (RSS) – Also known as Really Simple Syndication, RSS is a standardized file format that allows information to be published once and viewed by many different programs and devices. RSS allows readers to subscribe to timely updates from favorite websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place.
  • Rural Health Clinics (RHC) – Rural Health Clinic (RHC): Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) are federally certified healthcare facilities that provide outpatient primary care services, basic laboratory services, and “first response” services to common life-threatening injuries and acute illnesses in rural areas that are also designated as underserved or shortage areas.
  • Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Data – The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides a comprehensive system of HIV primary medical care, medication, and essential support services to low income people with HIV.The HDW provides data on AIDS grants and health care providers.

S

  • Service Area – Geographic designation comprising one or more counties where a HRSA service is provided. Service areas are structured to best serve communities surrounding a health facility.
  • Shape File – Digital vector storage format for storing geometric location and associated attribute information. This format lacks the capacity to store topological information.
  • Shortage Area – HRSA designates areas with shortages of primary medical care, dental or mental health providers as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). HPSAs can be geographic areas, populations, or facilities.
  • Skilled Nursing Facilities – A Skilled Nursing Facility is an institution (or a distinct part of an institution), certified under section 1819(a) of the Social Security Act, that is primarily engaged in providing skilled nursing care and related services to residents requiring medical, rehabilitation, or nursing care and is not primarily for the care and treatment of mental diseases. Medicaid requires Nursing Facilities to meet virtually the same requirements that Skilled Nursing Facilities participating in Medicare must meet.
  • Spatial Data – The data or information that identifies the geographic location of features and boundaries on Earth.

T

  • Tabular Data – Data presented in table (column) format.

U

  • Uniform Data System (UDS) – The UDS is a standardized data set and annual program requirement that is defined in Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act. These data help inform efforts to further expand access to care, improve quality of care, and reduce health care costs. UDS data are also used to document program effectiveness; identify administrative, clinical, and financial trends over time; and compare clinical quality measures (CQMs) with national benchmarks.

W

  • Web Service –Machine to machine service that allows web developers to connect to data and customize it on third party Web applications.

XYZ

  • ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) –Generalized areal representations of United States Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas created by the U. S. Census Bureau.