Key Terms

• 3D Printing

  A manufacturing method where 3D objects are quickly made on a machine connected to a computer containing blueprints for the object
• App

  A software program developed to run on a computer or mobile device to accomplish a specific purpose
• Bar coding technology

  The use of an optical scanner to electronically capture information encoded on a product
• Billing process


  The method of submitting and following up with claims made to government payers, insurance companies, and patients
• Biomedical engineer


  Person that uses their knowledge of biology, medicine, technology, and mechanical engineering to research and develop new equipments
• Clinical decision support system (CDSS)


  The variety of technologies that provide healthcare providers with diagnostic and treatment recommendations
• Cloud computing: The virtualization of servers
• Computerized physician order entry system (CPOE): A medication order and fulfillment system
• Confidentiality: The obligation of healthcare providers to not disseminate patient information beyond proper channels
• Electronic health record (EHR): Individual patient health record stored in a computer database for easy access by physicians and other healthcare workers regardless of the setting – clinic, hospital, nursing home, or emergency care center
• Electronic materials management: The tracking and managing of inventory of medical supplies, drugs, and other materials
• E-prescribing: The use of a computerized physician order entry system solely for medications
• Functional magnetic resonance (fMRI): A method of tracing the work of brain cells by tracking changes in oxygen levels and blood flow to the brain
• Health information technology (health IT): Broad concept that encompasses an array of technologies to record, store, retrieve, protect, share, and analyze health information
• Interoperability: The mechanism of electronic communication among organizations so that data can be incorporated from one system into another
• Interventional X-ray machine: High-resolution fixed X-ray equipment that allows physicians to diagnose and perform surgery in a minimally invasive manner
• Master patient index (MPI): A listing or database of all the patients treated by the healthcare provider, typically arranged according to an identification process
• Medical technology: The procedures, equipments, and processes by which medical care is delivered
• Mobile technology: Equipments that can be carried or wheeled from place to place
• Patient portal: An online application that allows patients to interact and communicate with their healthcare providers
• Patient registration: The process of obtaining pertinent personal, financial, and social information from the patient about their medical history, contact information, and insurance billing data
• Patient registration process: An activity involving obtaining pertinent personal, financial, and social information from the patient about their medical history, contact information, and insurance billing data
• Picture archiving and communication system (PACS): Technology that captures and integrates diagnostic and radiological images from various devices, stores them, and disseminates them to a health record, a clinical repository, or other points of care
• Speech recognition software: Computer programs that collect spoken words, analyze those words, and present the results as data
• Telemedicine: The use of electronic communication and information technologies to provide or support clinical care at a distance
• Vendor-neutral archive (VNA): A single, consolidated archive platform used to host files from difference PACS software
• Vital statistics: Information that chronicles certain life events, like birth and death
• Wearable technology: A small computer that can be worn on a person