Redwood MedNet :: Glossary

B2B - Short for an electronic commerce service that operates between businesses (i.e., business to business). B2B services generally replace paper transactions with electronic transactions. For example, HIE services replace the faxing of patient records on paper with the secure exchange of electronic patient records. See HIE

BAA - A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) allows a covered entity to employ a contractor or other non-staff member to perform services or activities which involve direct access to indivifually identifiable health information (IIHI). The HIPAA Privacy Rule requires that a covered entity include contractual protections for IIHI, which is the purpose of the BAA. In the agreement, a covered entity specifies safeguards for the IIHI used or disclosed by its business associates. A covered entity may not contractually authorize a business associate to make any use or disclosure of protected health information that would violate the HIPAA Privacy Rule. See Covered Entity, HIPAA, IIHI, PHI

Back Door - Software code that allows a user (typically an administrator or a hacker) to circumvent standard application security. May be used in a complementary sense to describe software system administration tools, or in a derogatory sense to ridicule an application that fails to secure the perimeter of the software from unauthorized access.

Backbone - Bulk, high throughput data circuits. May refer to circuits between adjacent buildings on a single campus, or between non-adjacent physical facilities.

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Backup - As a verb, a process that creates an archival copy of data files or a system state (e.g., to backup). As a noun, the archival copy of a data system (e.g., the backup).

Bandwidth - A generic term referring to signal capacity, whether over a wire, wireless or fiber circuit.

Benchmark - A facility or organizational evaluation of a business process in relation to the best practices for that business process across the entire business sector.

Best Practice - A technique or methodology that, through experience and research, has shown to reliably lead to a desired result.

BI - Business Intellegence (BI) is the category name for software tools and analytic business processes that allow distributed queries of of enterprise or federated data repositories. In a healthcare setting, BI tools allow construction of focused management dashboards, built by pulling clinical or operations data from disparate repositories. This information agility can lower the deployment and operating costs associated with traditional data warehouse projects. See Dashboard, Data Warehouse

Bit - One binary digit, in base 2, the basis for electronic storage of data. See Byte

Blue Shield of California Foundation - BSCF is a large private healthcare funder, providing $30 million annually for independent grantmaking.

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Bluetooth - A short range wireless communication protocol used for a variety of portable devices, such as cell phone headsets, wireless keyboards, etc.

Breach - As defined by HIPAA, the unauthorized acquisition, access, use, or disclosure of protected health information which compromises the security or privacy of such information. Apart from HIPAA, breach is also a generic computer security term describing unauthorized penetration of a system. See HIPAA, IIHI, PHI

Bridges To Excellence - BTE is a not-for-profit organization that designs and creates programs that encourage physicians and physician practices to deliver safer, more effective and efficient care by giving them financial and other incentives to do so. See P4P, Pay For Performance, QIO

Broadband - A generic, nonspecific term referring to a digital communications circuit with a high volume of signal capacity. See Analog, Dialup, Digital, DSL

Bug - A software defect that causes a computer system to behave inconveniently, erratically or to fail altogether. Bugs are "reported" by users, are "tracked" by software project managers, and are "resolved" by programmers. See Feature

Business Associate - A business associate is an agent of a health care organization. The business associate performs any function involving the use or disclosure of protected health information (PHI). See Covered Entity, HIPAA, IIHI, PHI

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Business Associate Agreement See BAA

Business Intelligence See BI

Business Process - A set of tasks, whether sequential, concurrent, or in combination, that accomplish a specific organizational task (e.g., schedule a patient appointment, originate a prescription, forward a referral, etc.). See Workflow

Business Rules Engine - Business rules engines (also called inference engines) execute rules that have been externalized from software application code as part of a business rules approach. Externalization of business rules allows business users to modify the rules frequently without dependence upon intervention by IT. The system as whole becomes more adaptable because business rules can be changed dynamically. See Algorithm, Expert System, Inference Engine

Byte - Eight bits. Bytes are generally counted in kilobytes (1,000 or 1,024 bits), megabytes (1,000 or 1,024 kilobytes), gigabytes (1,000 or 1,024 megabytes), etc. See Bit, Kilobyte


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	Health Informatics Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z B2B - Short for an electronic commerce service that operates between businesses (i.e., business to business). B2B services generally replace paper transactions with electronic transactions. For example, HIE services replace the faxing of patient records on paper with the secure exchange of electronic patient records. See HIE BAA - A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) allows a covered entity to employ a contractor or other non-staff member to perform services or activities which involve direct access to indivifually identifiable health information (IIHI). The HIPAA Privacy Rule requires that a covered entity include contractual protections for IIHI, which is the purpose of the BAA. In the agreement, a covered entity specifies safeguards for the IIHI used or disclosed by its business associates. A covered entity may not contractually authorize a business associate to make any use or disclosure of protected health information that would violate the HIPAA Privacy Rule. See Covered Entity, HIPAA, IIHI, PHI Back Door - Software code that allows a user (typically an administrator or a hacker) to circumvent standard application security. May be used in a complementary sense to describe software system administration tools, or in a derogatory sense to ridicule an application that fails to secure the perimeter of the software from unauthorized access. Backbone - Bulk, high throughput data circuits. May refer to circuits between adjacent buildings on a single campus, or between non-adjacent physical facilities. top Backup - As a verb, a process that creates an archival copy of data files or a system state (e.g., to backup). As a noun, the archival copy of a data system (e.g., the backup). Bandwidth - A generic term referring to signal capacity, whether over a wire, wireless or fiber circuit. Benchmark - A facility or organizational evaluation of a business process in relation to the best practices for that business process across the entire business sector. Best Practice - A technique or methodology that, through experience and research, has shown to reliably lead to a desired result. BI - Business Intellegence (BI) is the category name for software tools and analytic business processes that allow distributed queries of of enterprise or federated data repositories. In a healthcare setting, BI tools allow construction of focused management dashboards, built by pulling clinical or operations data from disparate repositories. This information agility can lower the deployment and operating costs associated with traditional data warehouse projects. See Dashboard, Data Warehouse Bit - One binary digit, in base 2, the basis for electronic storage of data. See Byte Blue Shield of California Foundation - BSCF is a large private healthcare funder, providing $30 million annually for independent grantmaking. top Bluetooth - A short range wireless communication protocol used for a variety of portable devices, such as cell phone headsets, wireless keyboards, etc. Breach - As defined by HIPAA, the unauthorized acquisition, access, use, or disclosure of protected health information which compromises the security or privacy of such information. Apart from HIPAA, breach is also a generic computer security term describing unauthorized penetration of a system. See HIPAA, IIHI, PHI Bridges To Excellence - BTE is a not-for-profit organization that designs and creates programs that encourage physicians and physician practices to deliver safer, more effective and efficient care by giving them financial and other incentives to do so. See P4P, Pay For Performance, QIO Broadband - A generic, nonspecific term referring to a digital communications circuit with a high volume of signal capacity. See Analog, Dialup, Digital, DSL Bug - A software defect that causes a computer system to behave inconveniently, erratically or to fail altogether. Bugs are "reported" by users, are "tracked" by software project managers, and are "resolved" by programmers. See Feature Business Associate - A business associate is an agent of a health care organization. The business associate performs any function involving the use or disclosure of protected health information (PHI). See Covered Entity, HIPAA, IIHI, PHI top Business Associate Agreement See BAA Business Intelligence See BI Business Process - A set of tasks, whether sequential, concurrent, or in combination, that accomplish a specific organizational task (e.g., schedule a patient appointment, originate a prescription, forward a referral, etc.). See Workflow Business Rules Engine - Business rules engines (also called inference engines) execute rules that have been externalized from software application code as part of a business rules approach. Externalization of business rules allows business users to modify the rules frequently without dependence upon intervention by IT. The system as whole becomes more adaptable because business rules can be changed dynamically. See Algorithm, Expert System, Inference Engine Byte - Eight bits. Bytes are generally counted in kilobytes (1,000 or 1,024 bits), megabytes (1,000 or 1,024 kilobytes), gigabytes (1,000 or 1,024 megabytes), etc. See Bit, Kilobyte

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Health Informatics Glossary