Medical Dictionary

Describing a condition that begins suddenly or lasts a short time.

In plain language: Something that started recently or came on fast — the opposite of long-running.

A legal document recording your wishes about medical care if you cannot speak for yourself.

In plain language: Written instructions about the care you would want if you were unable to say so.

Medication used to block pain or produce unconsciousness during a procedure.

In plain language: Medicine that keeps you from feeling a procedure — sometimes numbing one area, sometimes putting you fully to sleep.

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The licensed physician with primary responsibility for a patient's care in a hospital.

In plain language: The doctor in charge of your hospital care that day.

Common misconception: The person you see most often may be a resident or hospitalist, not the attending.

Not cancerous; not likely to spread or invade nearby tissue.

In plain language: Not cancer.

Removal of a small tissue sample for laboratory examination.

In plain language: Taking a tiny sample so a lab can look at it closely.

Voluntary certification showing a clinician met a specialty board's standards.

In plain language: An extra credential showing a clinician passed a specialty board's requirements.

Common misconception: A license and a board certification are different things — Phoenix shows both when available.

Persisting over a long period, often for life.

In plain language: Long-lasting or ongoing.

The percentage of a covered service you pay after meeting your deductible.

In plain language: Your share of the bill, expressed as a percentage.

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A situation in which a treatment should not be used because of potential harm.

In plain language: A reason a particular treatment isn't a safe choice for someone.

A substance given before or during imaging to make certain structures easier to see.

In plain language: A dye that makes parts of the body show up more clearly on a scan.

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The amount you pay for covered services before your plan begins to share costs.

In plain language: What you pay first, before insurance starts paying its part.

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The list of possible conditions a clinician is considering for a set of findings.

In plain language: The short list a clinician is working through before reaching a conclusion.

Common misconception: Being on the list is not the same as having the condition.

The document describing a hospital stay, treatment, and follow-up plan.

In plain language: The write-up you receive when leaving the hospital.

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Swelling caused by excess fluid in body tissues.

In plain language: Swelling from fluid build-up.

A statement from your plan showing how a claim was processed.

In plain language: A summary from your insurance — not a bill.

Common misconception: An EOB is not a bill, even when it lists an amount you may owe.

A health plan's list of covered medications, usually organized in tiers.

In plain language: The list of medicines your plan will help pay for.

A medication containing the same active ingredient as a brand-name product.

In plain language: The non-brand version with the same active ingredient.

The U.S. law setting national standards for protecting certain health information.

In plain language: The privacy law that governs how your health information is used and shared.

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Arising from an unknown cause.

In plain language: The cause isn't known.

A provider or facility with a contracted rate with your health plan.

In plain language: A clinician or hospital your insurance has an agreement with.

Common misconception: An in-network hospital can still have out-of-network clinicians working in it.

The process of agreeing to care after being told the risks, benefits, and alternatives.

In plain language: Saying yes to care after a real explanation of what it involves.

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Cancerous; able to invade nearby tissue or spread.

In plain language: Cancerous.

Comparing a patient's medication list across care transitions to resolve differences.

In plain language: Checking your medicine list against what you actually take, especially when leaving the hospital.

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National Provider Identifier — a unique 10-digit number for U.S. healthcare providers.

In plain language: A provider's national ID number, used in billing and public records.

Therapy focused on the skills needed for daily activities.

In plain language: Therapy that helps you do everyday tasks again.

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Specialized care focused on relieving symptoms and stress from serious illness.

In plain language: Care aimed at comfort and quality of life, available alongside other treatment.

Common misconception: Palliative care is not the same as hospice.

Pain perceived as coming from a limb that is no longer present.

In plain language: Real pain that feels like it is coming from the missing limb.

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A physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

In plain language: A rehabilitation doctor who coordinates recovery care.

A pattern of lasting physical, cognitive, and emotional effects reported after sepsis.

In plain language: The lingering fatigue, weakness, and brain fog many sepsis survivors describe.

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A plan requirement to approve a service before it is provided.

In plain language: Getting insurance to say yes before the care happens.

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The expected course of a condition based on clinical evidence.

In plain language: What clinicians expect may happen over time.

Common misconception: A prognosis is a general expectation, not a prediction about any one person. Phoenix never predicts outcomes.

An artificial device that replaces a missing body part.

In plain language: An artificial limb or body part.

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A request from one clinician for another to evaluate or treat a specific issue.

In plain language: One clinician sending you to another.

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The remaining portion of a limb after amputation.

In plain language: The part of the limb that remains after surgery.

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The body's extreme, dysregulated response to an infection that can injure its own tissues and organs.

In plain language: When the body's reaction to an infection starts harming the body itself.

Common misconception: Sepsis is not an infection itself — it is the response to one.

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A severe stage of sepsis involving dangerously low blood pressure.

In plain language: The most severe stage, when blood pressure drops and organs may not get enough blood.

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A clinician with additional training in a specific area of medicine.

In plain language: A clinician who focuses on one part of medicine.

A hospital unit with monitoring between intensive care and a general floor.

In plain language: A middle level of hospital monitoring.

A method in which a patient or caregiver repeats or demonstrates instructions to confirm understanding.

In plain language: You show or say it back, so everyone knows the instructions landed.

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Gradual adjustment of a medication dose to reach a desired effect.

In plain language: Slowly adjusting a dose over time — always under a prescriber's direction.

Sorting patients by the urgency of their needs.

In plain language: How care teams decide who is seen first.

Common misconception: Waiting longer often means your situation is less time-critical, not that you were forgotten.

Basic body measurements such as temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure.

In plain language: The basic body measurements taken at almost every visit.