Glossary
- MRSA
- Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium responsible for difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It may also be referred to as multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA). MRSA is by definition a strain of Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to a large group of antibiotics called the beta-lactams, which include the penicillins and the cephalosporins.
- Medicare
- Medicare keeps costs down through broad spreading of risks throughout the large pool of covered persons, coupled with universal participation. Other essential elements of the program include freedom of choice of doctor, accountability for high quality of care, and fair payment to health care providers to ensure broad participation. Areas for improvement in Medicare include limitations on out-of-pocket costs, a buy-in program for people aged 55 -65, and giving the program the ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.
- Nosocomial infection
- Nosocomial infections are infections which are a result of treatment in a hospital or a healthcare service unit, but secondary to the patient's original condition.
