Continuity of Care

An earlier page of clinical notes on the same patient, from the previous year

Unreviewed Written 13 October 2026| 10 sources| The three-part typology traced to its origin and to two sources that reproduce it, since the original could not be opened Continuity of Care Verified against primary record Strongest legal guarantee in cross-border care The treating state must give the patient a medical record, or at least a … Read more

Multidisciplinary Care

A meeting room laid out for a case conference

Unreviewed Written 13 October 2026| 6 sources| The range of reported effects on management plans read from the review that produced it, with its own quality rating Multidisciplinary Care Verified against primary record Definition Teams drawn from different disciplines working to a common goal, with no prescribed membership[1] English cancer practice Every patient is listed, … Read more

Second Medical Opinions

A hospital outpatient waiting area

Unreviewed Written 13 October 2026| 8 sources| The German procedure list taken from the committee that sets it, not from the ministry page that is out of date Second Medical Opinions Verified against primary record Statutory entitlement, Germany Before certain planned procedures, from a doctor other than the one proposing it, with the sickness fund … Read more

Clinical Referral

A handwritten page of clinical notes on a patient

Unreviewed Written 13 October 2026| 8 sources| Searched for any instrument recognising a foreign referral and found none Clinical Referral Verified against primary record Who may refer, in England An enumerated list of coded sources including general practitioners, emergency departments, consultants, optometrists, screening programmes and self-referral[1] Referral as a timing event A consultant-led waiting-time clock … Read more

Medical Necessity

A printed claim questionnaire

Unreviewed Written 13 October 2026| 7 sources| The one United States regulatory definition traced from adoption to repeal in the Federal Register Medical Necessity Verified against primary record United States statutory wording "Reasonable and necessary", under section 1862(a)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act, which the statute does not define[1] Current regulatory position No definition of … Read more

Elective Surgery

A handwritten register of surgical operations

Unreviewed Written 13 October 2026| 8 sources| Admission-type codes read from the national data standard, and one widely cited urgency document found to be a proposal Elective Surgery Verified against primary record Meaning in English NHS data An admission route, coded 11 waiting list, 12 booked or 13 planned, contrasted with emergency, maternity and other[1] … Read more

Quaternary Care

The facilities of a general hospital seen from outside

Unreviewed Written 13 October 2026| 8 sources| Searched six standards bodies and vocabularies for a definition and found none Quaternary Care Verified against primary record Controlled vocabulary No MeSH descriptor or entry term exists for quaternary care or quaternary health care[1] Highest indexed tier Tertiary Health Care is the terminal node of the MeSH levels-of-care … Read more

Tertiary Care

The administration block of a university teaching hospital

Unreviewed Written 13 October 2026| 9 sources| Three incompatible definitional axes traced to their sources, including one statute with named criteria Tertiary Care Verified against primary record Defined by complexity Advanced, technically demanding care at medical centres, often university-affiliated, for severe, intricate or rare conditions[1] Defined by referral route A facility offering subspecialty expertise to … Read more

Secondary Care

The exterior of a district general hospital

Unreviewed Written 13 October 2026| 8 sources| Checked that English statute and the NHS data dictionary define the term, and found that neither does Secondary Care Verified against primary record Status in English statute Residual: services other than primary medical, dental and ophthalmic services. The phrase "secondary care" does not appear[1] Operational trigger Referral by … Read more

Primary Care

A medical offices building attached to a community hospital

Unreviewed Written 13 October 2026| 8 sources| WHO’s own distinction between primary health care and primary care traced to its glossary Primary Care Verified against primary record Defined by WHO and UNICEF, as one component of primary health care rather than a synonym for it[1] Statutory form in England A commissioning category, "primary medical services", … Read more