Terms Used In Indiana Code > Title 16 > Article 21 - Hospitals

• after care: means assistance provided by a lay caregiver to a patient in the patient's residence under an at home care plan following the patient's discharge from a hospital. See Indiana Code 16-21-12-1
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• at home care plan: means any plan that serves to describe the after care needs of a patient upon discharge from a hospital to the patient's residence, if the at home care plan:

  Indiana Code 16-21-12-2

• Attorney: includes a counselor or other person authorized to appear and represent a party in an action or special proceeding. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• center: refers to the commercial solar and wind energy ready communities development center that may be established under section 12 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 4-3-23.1-1
• Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
• committee: refers to the hospital assessment fee committee established by section 7 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 16-21-10-1
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• community benefits: means the unreimbursed cost to a hospital of providing charity care, government sponsored indigent health care, donations, education, government sponsored program services, research, and subsidized health services. See Indiana Code 16-21-9-1
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• director: means the director of the office. See Indiana Code 4-3-23-1
• discharge: means a patient's exit or release from a hospital following an inpatient hospitalization. See Indiana Code 16-21-12-3
• education related costs: means the unreimbursed cost to a hospital of providing, funding, or otherwise financially supporting educational benefits, services, and programs, including:

  Indiana Code 16-21-6-0.2

• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• fee: refers to the hospital assessment fee authorized by this chapter. See Indiana Code 16-21-10-2
• fee period: means the period during which a fee is collected under this chapter. See Indiana Code 16-21-10-3
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• government sponsored indigent health care: means the unreimbursed cost to a hospital of Medicare, providing health care services to recipients of Medicaid, and other federal, state, or local indigent health care programs, eligibility for which is based on financial need. See Indiana Code 16-21-9-2
• gross patient revenue: means inpatient and outpatient revenue from services to patients, including payments received from or on behalf of individual patients. See Indiana Code 16-21-6-1
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• health care facility: means any of the following:

  Indiana Code 16-21-11-1

• health care representative: means an individual:

  Indiana Code 16-21-12-4

• hospital: means either of the following:

  Indiana Code 16-21-10-4

• in writing: include printing, lithographing, or other mode of representing words and letters. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• item or service: means any item or service, including service packages, that could be provided by an ambulatory outpatient surgical center to a patient for which the ambulatory outpatient surgical center has established a standard charge. See Indiana Code 16-21-17-0.3
• Judgment: means all final orders, decrees, and determinations in an action and all orders upon which executions may issue. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• lay caregiver: means an individual who:

  Indiana Code 16-21-12-5

• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• medical record: means written or printed information possessed by a provider (as defined in IC 16-18-2-295) concerning any diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis of the patient, unless otherwise defined. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• merger: means any change of ownership, including:

  Indiana Code 16-21-15-1.5

• merger agreement: means an agreement between two (2) or more hospitals for the consolidation by merger or other acquisition or transfer of assets by which ownership or control over substantially all of the stock, assets, or activities of one (1) or more previously licensed and operating hospitals is placed under the control of another licensed hospital or other entity that controls hospitals. See Indiana Code 16-21-15-1.5
• minor: means a person less than eighteen (18) years of age. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• miscarried fetus: means an unborn child, irrespective of gestational age, who has died from a spontaneous or accidental death before expulsion or extraction from the unborn child's mother, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy. See Indiana Code 16-21-11-2
• net patient revenue: means gross patient revenue less deductions for contractual adjustments, bad debts, and charity. See Indiana Code 16-21-6-2
• nonprofit hospital: means a hospital that is organized as a nonprofit corporation or a charitable trust under Indiana law or the laws of any other state or country and that is:

  Indiana Code 16-21-9-3

• office: refers to the office of Medicaid policy and planning established by Indiana Code 16-21-10-5
• office: refers to the Indiana office of energy development established by section 3 of this chapter. See Indiana Code 4-3-23-2
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• person in charge of interment: means a person who places or causes to be placed the body of a miscarried fetus who has a gestational age of less than twenty (20) weeks of age or the ashes, after cremation, in a grave, vault, urn, or other receptacle, or who otherwise disposes of the body or ashes. See Indiana Code 16-21-11-3
• phase out period: refers to the following periods:

  Indiana Code 16-21-10-5.3

• Population: has the meaning set forth in Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• President pro tempore: A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice President. The President Pro Tempore (or, "president for a time") is elected by the Senate and is, by custom, the Senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service.
• Property: includes personal and real property. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• residence: means a dwelling considered by a patient to be the patient's temporary or permanent home. See Indiana Code 16-21-12-6
• standard charge: means the regular rate established by the ambulatory outpatient surgical center for an item or service provided to a specific group of paying patients. See Indiana Code 16-21-17-0.3
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the commonwealths, possessions, states in free association with the United States, and the territories. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5