Glossary

This glossary defines some of the key terms and abbreviations used on this site.

  • An Accredited Cancer Program is one that has been recognized as meeting the standards of the Commission on Cancer Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons to consistently deliver high quality comprehensive cancer care.
  • American Community Survey (ACS), an annual release by the US Census Bureau using 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year estimates. Indiana INdicators utilizes the 5-year annual estimates because they provide greater geographic coverage (all counties, school districts, townships, etc.).
  • Age-Adjusted, or age-standardization, is a method of standardizing data so that it can be compared between different communities or between different time periods when the age profiles of the populations are different. 
  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an annual state-based telephone survey that generates information on health behaviors, prevention practices, and health care access mainly related to chronic diseases and injury. All 50 states, the District of Columbian and many U.S. territories participate.
  • The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is the federal agency that works to protect public health and safety.
  • Certified Primary Stroke Center: a health care facility that has been recognized by the Joint Commission (formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) as having an established, formal program to treat stroke patients effectively and consistently with the goal of improving care and outcomes
  • CHIP (Community Health Improvement Plan) is an action-oriented plan that communities may develop to improve community health by identifying health priorities, developing strategies to address these health needs, and determining how to track progress.
  • CHNA (Community Health Needs Assessment) engages community members and local public health system partners to look at the health needs of a community and the issues in that community which support or prevent healthy living. CHNAs are used to indentify health priorities and inform decisions on health care, disease prevention and overall wellness.
  • Critical Access Hospitals are hospitals certified to receive cost-based reimbursement from Medicare, and are supported to ensure hospital access in communities that may not otherwise have local hospital facilities.
  • Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC): a federally funded, community-based organization that provides comprehensive health services to individuals of all ages, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status.
  • Fetal refers to a fetus, and information or statistics associated with the fetus.
  • A Goal indicates the target level that each indicator is striving to obtain or surpass. These goals are based pre-established national or state goals, such as state plans or the Healthy People 2020 objectives.
  • A Health District is a group of counties that have been grouped together to form a public health preparedness district in the State of Indiana. Indiana has 10 health districts with 5 to 13 counties in each one. 
    • District 1: Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton and Porter
    • District 2: Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, Marshall, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke
    • District 3: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Miami, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, Whitley
    • District 4: Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Warren, White
    • District 5: Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, Morgan, Shelby
    • District 6: Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Howard, Jay, Madison, Randolph, Rush, Tipton, Union, Wayne
    • District 7: Clay, Greene, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion, Vigo
    • District 8: Bartholomew, Brown, Jackson, Lawrence, Monroe, Orange, Washington
    • District 9: Clark, Dearborn, Decatur, Floyd, Franklin, Harrison, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley, Scott, Switzerland
    • District 10: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick
  • ICD-10 Codes are the 10th version of the International Classification of Diseases. These are codes used nationally and internationally to standardize the collection, processing, classification, and presentation of mortality statistics.
  • The INSPECT (Indiana Scheduled Prescription Electronic Collection and Tracking) Program is an online database that maintains records of patients who have been prescribed controlled substances by their health care provider. It was designed to address the problem of prescription drug abuse and diversion in Indiana.
  • IHA (Indiana Hospital Association) is a private, nonprofit organization that provides services to Indiana hospitals as they promote the improvement of health in Indiana communities.
  • ISDH (Indiana State Department of Health) is a state agency that promotes and provides essential public health services to protect Indiana communities.
  • A Needs Assessment defines the health and resource needs, concerns, values and assets of a community. They are often initiated by health care organizations, local interest groups or even individuals, but typically need many partners throughout a community to be completed.  A needs assessment provides the foundation of information for developing strategies to improve community health and well-being.
  • A Non-Profit Hospital, or not-for-profit hospital, is a hospital that has received tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service, which may also allow it to receive financial benefits from state and local governments, in exchange for providing positive, measurable benefit to their local community.
  • Prenatal refers to the time period when a woman is pregnant.
  • Rate refers to a ratio of events that occur in a population over time. Some of the common rates seen in this website are birth rates and mortality rates.
  • A Verified Trauma Center has received an award from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma that the facility has met the criteria outlined in the Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient: 2006 to produce optimal injury care in the United States.
  • CDC WONDER (Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) is a free access information source, found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, that makes a wide range of public health information available to public health professionals and the public at large.
  • The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a national school-based survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state, territorial and local surveys conducted by state, territorial and local health departments.  The YRBS monitors health-risk behaviors that contribute to death and disability in youth and young adults.