Acronyms and Glossary
A list of acronyms and glossary terms likely to be found within Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) information.
Introduction
This list of acronyms and glossary terms was compiled by the Departmental Library from Departmental websites, annual reports and lists prepared by various Divisions within the Department.Where a term has a broader general meaning, the definition given refers to its use in the DoHA context. For an authoritative source of health-related definitions used in Australia, see the Health and Ageing Thesaurus and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's National Health Data Dictionary (NHDD). Also see Medspeak Terms on the Medical Library Association website.
Please send changes and suggestions for additional terms to libraryhealth@health.gov.au
A
A3GP - Australian Association of Academic General PracticeAA - Alzheimer's Australia
AAG - Australian Association of Gerontology
A/g - Acting
A&E - Accident and Emergency
A&R - Analysis and Reporting Section, OATSIH
AAAGP - Australian Association of Academic General Practice
AAQHC - Australasian Association for Quality in Health Care
AAC - Ageing and Aged Care
AACAP - ATSIC Army Community Assistance Program
AACD - Ageing and Aged Care Division
AACP - Aged and Aged Care Program
AACR - Australian Association of Cancer Registries
Top of pageAACS - Applied Aged Care Solutions
AAGP - Australian Association of General Practitioners
AAHL - Australian Animal Health Laboratory
AAP - Australian Association of Pathology Practices
AAPM - Australian Association of Practice Managers
AAPM - American Association of Physicists in Medicine
AAPROP - Australian Association of Professional Radiation Oncology Providers
AARN - Association for Australian Rural Nurses
AASB - Australian Accounting Standards Board
AAT - Administrative Appeals Tribunal
AAV - Aboriginal Affairs Victoria
AAWCH - Australian Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital
ABA - Aboriginals Benefit Account - funding source in NT Govt.
ABF - Australian Brain Foundation Inc.
ABI - Acquired Brain Injury
ABL - Australian bat lyssavirus
Top of pageAboriginal - A person of Aboriginal descent who identifies as an Aboriginal and is accepted as such by the community in which he or she lives.
ABS - Australian Bureau of Statistics
ABMDR - Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
ACA - Australian Consumer’s Association
ACAA - Aged Care Association Australia
ACAC - Aged Care Advisory Committee
ACAM - Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring
ACAP - Aged Care Assessment Program
ACAR - Aged Care Approvals Round
ACAS - Aged Care Assessment Service
ACAT - Aged Care Assessment Teams
ACBA - Australian Coding Benchmark Audit
ACBHSC - Australian Community Based Health Services Codeset
Top of pageACC- Aged and Community Care
ACC - Australasian Cochrane Centre
ACCC - Australian Casemix Clinical Committee
ACCC - Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
ACCCN - Australian College of Critical Care Nurses
ACCHO - Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
ACCHS - Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services
ACCHS - Adelaide Central Community Health Service
ACCMIS - Aged and Community Care Management Information System
ACCN - Australian Council of Community Nursing
ACCNS - Australian Council of Community Nursing Services
Accountable - Being held responsible
Accreditation - Being granted recognition for meeting designated standards for structure, process and outcome
ACCR - Aged Care Client Record
ACCSIS - Pre ACCMIS product
Top of pageAccreditation (aged care) - A process through which residential aged care homes must go in order to be recognised as approved providers under the Aged Care Act 1997.
ACD - Acute Care Division
ACD - Australasian College of Dermatologists
ACDON - Australian Council of Deans of Nursing
ACe - Aged Care eConnect Section
ACEi - Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor
ACEM - Australasian College for Emergency Medicine
ACF - Aged Care Facility
ACFI - Aged Care Funding Instruments
Top of pageACGR - Australian Competitive Grants Register
ACHA - Assistance with Care and Housing for the Aged Program
ACHA - Australian Community Health Association
ACHP-RU - Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research Unit
ACHS - Australian Council on HealthCare Standards
Top of pageACHSE - Australian College of Health Service Executives
ACIR - Australian Childhood Immunisation Register
ACL - Access Control Lists
ACM - Australian College of Midwives
ACN - Australian Cancer Network
ACNVRGP - Australian College of Non-VRGPs
ACO - Asset Control Officer
ACOM - Australian Catalogue of Medicines
ACON - AIDS Council of NSW
ACORN - Australian College of Operating Room Nurses
Top of pageACOSS - Australian Council of Social Services
ACPAC - Aged Care Planning Advisory Committees
ACPM - Australian College of Psychological Medicine
ACPR - Aged Care Payments Redevelopment
ACPS - Aged Care Program Support
ACR - Albumin-creatinine ratio
ACROD - National Industry Associatio for Disability Services
ACRRM - Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
ACPA - Australian Community Pharmacy Authority
ACPSEM - Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine
ACS - Aged Care Systems
ACSA - Aged and Community Services Australia
Top of pageACSAA - Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency
ACSHP - Australasian College of Sexual Health Physicians
ACSI - Australian Communications-Electronic Security Instructions
ACSQHC - Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
ACSRG - Aged Care Systems Reference Group
ACSS - Aged Care Systems Section
ACT - Australian Clinical Thesaurus
ACTDGP - ACT Divisions of General Practice
ACTO - ACT Office (State Office)
ACT - Australian Capital Territory
ACTU - Australian Council of Trade Unions
Acute - Coming on sharply and often brief, intense and severe
Top of pageAcute Hospitals - Public, Department of Veterans Affairs (repatriation) and private hospitals which provide services primarily to admitted patients with acute or temporary ailments. The average length of stay is relatively short
ACWG - Aged Care Working Group
ACYS - Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies
ADA - Australian Dental Association
ADAC - Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council (SA Inc).
ADACAS - ACT Disability, Aged & Carer Advocacy Service (ACT)
ADC - Aboriginal Development Commission (disbanded when ATSIC created)
ADCA - Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia
Addiction/addictive use - A condition marked by repeated and compulsive activity in a manner or at a level that is harmful or dangerous. Term is most often applied to addictive drug use, such as with alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, but could be applied to gambling or many other practices
Additional Estimates - Where amounts appropriated at Budget time are insufficient, Parliament may appropriate more funds to portfolios through the Additional Estimates Acts. (i.e. Appropriation Acts 3 and 4)
ADEC - Australian Drug Evaluation Committee
ADF - Australian Drug Foundation
ADGP - former Australian Divisions of General Practice (now AGPN)
Top of pageADHD - Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake
ADIA - Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association
ADIN - Australian Drug Information Network
ADL - Activities of Daily Living (ACATs Assessment tool)
ADM - Admission
ADMG - Australian Disaster Management Group
ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subsciber Line
Adverse Event - An incident in which harm resulted to a person receiving health care
Adverse Reaction - An adverse event where the correct process was followed for the context in which the event occurred but unexpected and unpreventable harm resulted.
AE - Additional Estimates
AEIFRS - Australian Equivalents of International Financial Reporting Standards
AERF - Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation
AFAO - Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations
Top of pageAdministered items - Expenses, revenues, assets or liabilities that agencies administer on behalf of the Commonwealth. Administered expenses include grants, subsidies and benefits. Funds which are spent on behalf of the Government according to Government direction (for example, funding for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme)
Administrative data - Data that are routinely collected in the course of general administration. Includes data from the Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages and hospital morbidity data
Administrative Funds - Are funds allocated to cover the overhead or running costs structure of the Department (eg salaries, use of consultants, property operating expenses, printing etc)
AFC - Audit and Fraud Control
AFFA - Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry-Australia
Affective Disorders - Mood disorders such as depression, mania and bipolar affective disorder
AFGC - Australian Food and Grocery Council
AFMW - Australian Federation of Medical Women
AFP - Australian Federal Police
AFRM - Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
AFS - Additional Funding Support
AFS - Audited Financial Statement
Top of pageAGA - Architectural General Advice (carried out by BAA)
AGAR - Australian Group on Antimicrobial Register
AGCA - Australian Guidance and Counselling Association
AGCC - Australian Government Credit Card
Agent - One who, or that which, acts to produce a change
AGEST - Australian Government Employees Superannuation Trust
AGHS - Australian Government Health Services (now Health Services Australia)
AGIMIS - Australian Government Indigenous Management Information System
AGPAL - Australian General Practice Accreditation Ltd
AGPN - Australian General Practice Network
AGPS - Australian Government Publishing Service (defunct)
AGPT - Australian General Practice Training
AGS - Australian Government Solicitor
AGS No. - Australian Government Service Number (your personal identifier)
Top of pageAge Standardisation - A method of removing the influence of age when comparing populations with different age structures. This is usually necessary because the rates of many diseases vary strongly (usually increasing) with age. The age structures of the different populations are converted to the same standard structure, then the disease rates that would have occurred with that structure are calculated and compared
Agency - Means a Department of State or a Prescribed Agency
AH - Australian Hearing
AHA - Australian Healthcare Association
AHAC - Aboriginal Health Advisory Committee
AHAG - Allied Health Advisory Group
AHC - Australian Hepatitis Council
AHC - Aboriginal Health Council
AHCA - Australian Health Care Agreements
AHCPR - Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (U.S.)
AHD-MPC - Australian Health Disaster Management and Policy Committee
AHEC - Australian Health Ethics Committee
AHIA - Australian Health Insurance Association
AHIC - Australian Health Information Council
AHMAC - Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council
AHMC - Australian Health Ministers' Conference
Top of pageAHMC - Australian Health Ministers’ Council
AHPA - Australian Health Promotion Association
AHPMC - After Hours Primary Medical Care
AHPMCT - After Hours Primary Medical Care Trials
AHPSA - Australian Health Promoting Schools Association
AHRC - Aboriginal Health Resource Cooperative
AHS - Australian Hearing Services
AHS - Australian Housing Survey
AHS - Aboriginal Health Services
AHSPIA - Australian Hearing Specialist Program for Indigenous Australians
AHURI - Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
AHW - Aboriginal Health Worker
AHW - Allied Health Worker
AHWOC - Australian Health Workforce Officials Committee
AHWWG - Aboriginal Health Workforce Working Group
AHWTAF - Aboriginal Health Worker Training and Assessment Framework
Top of pageAIA - Australian Immunisation Agreements
AIATSIS - Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
AICAFMA - Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association
AICR - American Institute of Cancer Research
AIDA - Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association
AIDAB - Australian International Development Assistance Bureau
AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
AIEA - Agence Internationale Energie Atomique
AIFS - Australian Institute of Family Studies
AIGC - Australian Indigenous Geographical Classification
AIHW - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
AIMS - Australian Independent Medical Services
AIPC - Australian Institute for Primary Care
AIR - Australian Institute of Radiography
AIRC - Australian Industrial Relations Commission
Top of pageAIRWG - Attendance Item Restructure Working Group (re: the 7-tier MBS structure)
AIS - Abbreviated Injury Scale
AISC - Accreditation Interim Steering Committee
AIWG - Aboriginal and Islander Working Group
ALGA - Australian Local Government Association
ALO – Aboriginal Liaison Officer
ALOS - Average Length of Stay
ALRC- Australian Law Reform Commission
ALS – Aboriginal Legal Service
Alzheimer’s disease - A disease (named after a German physician) in which there is progressive loss of brainpower shown by worsening short-term memory, confusion and disorientation. A form of dementia
AMA - Australian Medical Association
AMAC - Australian Medical Association, Queensland
AMACom - AMA Commercial Ltd
AMARRG - AMA Rural Reference Group
Ambulatory Care - Care provided to hospital patients who are not admitted to the hospital, such as patients of emergency departments and outpatient clinics. The term is also used to refer to care provided to patients of community-based (non-hospital) health care services
AMC - Australian Medical Council
AMC - Agreement Management Committee
AMCGP - Alternative Models to Corporatisation in General Practice
AMDS - Approved Medical Deputising Service
Top of pageAMEX - American Express credit card
AMHCN - Australian Mental Health Consumer Network
AMHS - Adult Mental Health Services
AMHW - Aboriginal Mental Health Worker
AMPCO - Australian Medical Publishing Company
AMS - Aboriginal Medical Service
AMS - Applications Management Services
AMSA - Australian Medical Students’ Association
AMSANT - Aboriginal Medical Service Alliance of NT
AMSN - Area of Medical Service Need
AMTS - Australian Morbidity and Treatment Survey
AMWAC - Australian Medical Workforce Advisory Committee
ANAMH - Australian National Association for Mental Health
ANAO - Australian National Audit Office
ANAPHI - Australian Network of Academic Public Health Institutions
ANC - Australian Nursing Council
Top of pageANCARD - Australian National Council on AIDS and Related Diseases (now ANCAHRD)
ANCAHRD - Australian National Council on AIDS, Hepatitis C and RelatedDiseases
ANCD - Australian National Council on Drugs
AN-DRG - Australian National Diagnosis Related Group
ANET - AFAO/NAPWA Education Team
ANCAHRD - Australian National Council for AIDS, Hepatitis C and Related Diseases
ANF - Australian Nursing Federation
ANGOSA - Association of Non Government Organisations of South Australia
ANHECA - Australian Nursing Home and Extended Care Association
AN-SNAP - Australian National Sub-Acute and Non-Acute Patient
ANTaR - Australians for Native Title and Recognition
ANZCA - Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists
ANZCMHN - Australian and New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses
Top of pageAnxiety disorders - A group of mental disorders marked by excessive feelings of apprehension, worry, nervousness and stress. Includes panic disorder, various phobias, generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder
ANZDATA - Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry
ANZFA - Australia New Zealand Food Authority now called Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)
ANZSPM - Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine
ANZTC - Australian New Zealand Telehealth Committee
AOD - Alcohol and Other Drugs
AODAW - Australian Organ Donar Awareness Week
AODP - Alcohol and Other Drugs Program (NT DHCS)
AODR - Australian Organ Donar Register
AODTS - Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services
AOI - Approved Outcome Indicator
AOM - Acute Otitis media
AP - Anangu Pitjantjatjara
AP - Approved Provider
Top of pageAPA - Approved Pathology Authorities
APAC - Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council
APCCP - Australian Primary Care Collaboratives Program
APCCP - Australian Primary Care Consumer Partnerships
APDC - Australian Psychiatric Disability Coalition
APHA - Australian Private Hospitals Association
APHCRI - Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute
APL - Approved Pathology Laboratory
APMAIF - Advisory Panel for Marketing in Australia of Infant Formula
APNA - Australian Practice Nurses Association
APP - Approved Pathology Practitioner
APS - Australian Public Service
APSC - Australian Public Service Commission
APSF - The Australian Patient Safety Foundation
APY - Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara
AQF - Australian Quality Framework
Top of pageAQIS - Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
AQM - Air Quality Monitor
ARACY - Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth
ARAFMI - Association of Relatives and Friends of the Mentally Ill
ARAS - Aged Rights Advocacy Service Inc (SA)
ARC - Architecture Committee
ARC - Australian Research Council
ARCBS - Australian Red Cross Blood Service
ARCHI - Australian Resource Centre for Healthcare Innovations
ARCSHS - Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society
AR-DRG - Australian Refined Diagnosis Related Groups Classification
ARD - Australian Rural Divisions
ARDS - Australian Radiation Dosimetry Service
ARF - Additional Recurrent Funding
ARGCM - Australian Regulatory Guidelines for Complementary Medicines
ARHEN - Australian Rural Health Education Network
ARIA - Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia
ARM - Athletes as Role Models tour
Top of pageARMIS - Approval Rounds Management Information System
AROC - Australasian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre
ARPANSA- Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency
ARRAC - Alligator Rivers Region Advisory Committee
ARRWAG - Australian Rural and Remote Workforce Agencies Group (now RHWA)
ART - Assisted Reproductive Technology
ARTG - Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods
AS - Assistant Secretary (also known as Branch Head)
AS/NZS - Australian Standard/New Zealand Standard
ASA - Australian Sonographers Association
ASCEPT - Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists
ASCII - Australian Standard Coding for Information Interchange
ASD - Annual Survey of Divisions
ASD - Aboriginal Service Division
Top of pageArthritis - A group of disorders in which there is inflammation of the joints, which can become stiff, painful, swollen or deformed. The two main types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
ASCO - Australian Standard Classification of Occupations
ASGC - Australian Standard Geographical Classification
ASH - Action on Smoking and Health
ASH - Alice Springs Hospital
ASHM - Australasian Society for HIV Medicine
ASHNA - Australian Sexual Health Nurses Association
ASIC - Australian Securities and Investments Commission
ASIST - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
ASM - Assistant State Manager
ASMOF - Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation
ASMPWG - Alcohol and Substance Misuse Priority Working Group
ASNUG - Australian State National Users Group
ASO - Administrative Service Officer 1-6 (now APS 1-6)
ASP - Application Service Provider
ASPREN - Australia Sentinel Practice and Research Network
ASPS - Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons
ASRDO - Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Development Officer
ASRP - Advanced Rural Skills Posts
ASSERT - Australian Society for Sex Educators, Researchers and Therapists
ASSID - Australian Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability SA
Top of pageAsthma - An inflammatory disease of the air passages that makes them prone to narrow too easily and too much, causing episodes of shortness of breath and wheezing or coughing. The narrowing is due to many triggers which include the house dust mite, exercise, pollens, cold weather, throat and chest infections, tobacco smoke and other factors
ASUM - Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine
ASYASS - Alice Springs Youth Assistance Support Service
ATAGI - Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation
ATC - Anatomical therapeutical chemical
ATDM - Automated telephone disease management
ATO - Australian Tax Office
ATODS - Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Services
ATOT - Australian Thesaurus of Ophthalmic Terminology
ATSI - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
ATSIC - former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission
ATSICCHO - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Organisation
ATSICCHS - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services
ATSICDC - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commercial Development Corporation
ATSICHET - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Health Education Training
ATSIHRTON - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Registered Training Organisation Network
ATSIHWIU - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Welfare Information Unit
ATSIHWSF - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce National Strategic Framework
ATSILIP - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Initiatives Program
Top of pageATSIWG - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Working Group
ATSIHWWG - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Working Group
AUD - Australian Urban Divisions [of General Practice]
AusAID - Australian Agency for International Aid
AusDiab - Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study
Auseinet- Australian Network for Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health
AusInfo - Commonwealth Government's Information Service
AUSLIG - Australian Land Information Group - Geoscience Australia
Aust - Australia
AUSFTA - Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement
Authenticating electronic access - Proof that system users are in fact who they identify themselves to be.
Available beds - Beds immediately available for use by admitted patients
Average length of stay (ALOS) - The average of the length of stay for admitted patient episodes
AWA - Australian Workplace Agreement
AWE - Average weekly earnings
AWP - Accelerated Work Program
AYE - Average yearly earnings
Top of page
B
BAs - Business AnalystsBAA - Business Alignment and Architecture
Balanda - Non-Aboriginals (Yolngu)
BAOP - Business Analysis Orientation Pack
BARC - Building Ageing Research Capacity
BARO - Better Access to Radiation Oncology (Budget Measure)
BAS - Behaviour Advisory Service (Aged Care)
BASIC - Building A Streamlined Information Capability
BBV - Bloode Borne Viruses
BCA - Biostatistics Collaboration of Australia
BCC - basal cell carcinoma
BCGP - British College of General Practitioners
BCU - Branch Co-ordination Unit
BDC - Biosecurity and Disease Control Branch
BDDGP - Ballarat and District Division of General Practice
Top of pageBDGP - Barwon Division of General Practice
BDW - Business Data Warehouse
BEACH - Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health
BEFR - Budget Estimates and Framework Review
BEI - Benefits Evaluation Indicators
Benchmark - A standard or point of reference for measuring quality or performance. See also benchmarking
Benchmarking - A continuous process of measuring quality or performance against the highest standards. See also benchmark
Benefits realisation - A program or activity that shows how to convert benefits into practice.
BFV - Barmah Forest virus
BG - Business Group
BHC - Business Management Committee
BHGPC - Balmain Hospital General Practice Casualty
BI - Business Intelligence
BIITE - Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
BINSA - Brain Injury Network of South Australia
BIP - Business Implementation Plan
Blame - To hold at fault (implies culpability)
BLO - Branch Liaison Officer
BMA - British Medical Association
BMG - Branch Management Group (of the Aged and Community Care Program)
Top of pageBipolar affective disorder - A mental disorder where the person may be depressed at one time and manic at another. Formerly known as manic depression
Blood cholesterol - Fatty substance produced by the liver and carried by the blood to supply the rest of the body. Its natural function is to supply material for cell walls and for steroid hormones, but if levels in the blood become too high this can lead to atherosclerosis and heart disease
Blood Group - Complex chemical substances found on or in the surface of red cells that distinguish each blood group
BMI - Body mass index
BMJ - British Medical Journal
BMMS - Better Medication Management System
BMP - Bonded Medical Place
BMUs - Business Management Units
BN - Briefing notes
BOD - Burden of Disease
BOiMHC - Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care
BOMH - Better Outcomes in Mental Health
BOMHCI - Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care Initiative
BoQ - General Practice: Building on Quality project (www.bldoq.com)
BPA - Business Practice Agreement (Medicare Australia)
BPA (C) - Business Partnership Agreement (Centrelink)
BPP - Better Practice Program
BPPMC - Better Practice Program Monitoring Committee
BRACS - Broadcasting for Remote Aboriginal Communities Scheme
BRC - Basic Resident Contribution (also known as Basic Daily Care Fee, Resident's Contribution)
BRCA - breast cancer associated gene
Top of pageBody mass index (BMI) - The most commonly used method of assessing whether a person is normal weight, underweight, overweight or obese. Calculated by dividing the persons weight (in kilograms) by their height (in metres) squared. Also known as Quetelet’s Index. For both men and women, underweight is a BMI below 18.5, acceptable weight is from 18.5 to less than 25, overweight is 25 and above but less than 30, and obese is 30 and over
BRS - Bureau of Rural Sciences
BSB - Business Systems Branch
BSE - Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
BSE - breast self-examination
BSQWG - Blood Safety and Quality Working Group
BSS - Biosecurity Surveillance System
BTCP - Better Treatment for Cancer Patients (Budget Measure)
BTH - Bringing Them Home
BUSKAs - Business Unit Statements of Knowledge and Abilities
Top of page
C
C&FI - Cultural and Flexible InitiativesCA - Cancer Australia
CA - Carer Allowance
CA - Carers Australia
CA - Certified Agreement
CAA - Carers Association of Australia
CAAC - Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
CAAMA - Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association
CAAPU - Central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Programs Unit
CAAS - Continence Aids Assistance Scheme
Cab Memo - Cabinet Memorandum
Cab Sub - Cabinet Submission
Top of pageCAC - Coding Advisory Committee
CAC Act - Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997
CACH - Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness
CACP - Community Aged Care Packages
CACP/CAPS - System for the payment of the Community Aged Care Packages
CADE - Confused and Disturbed Elderly (units)
CADPHC - Central Australian Divisions of Primary Health Care
CADTH - Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, (formerly CCOHTA)
CAEPR - Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research - ANU
CAF - Commercial Activities Fund
CAG - Clinical Advisory Groups
CAIS - Compilation of Authoritative Information System
CAISHAG - Central Australian Indigenous Sexual Health Action Group
CAN - Cancer Advocacy Network
CALD - Culturally and Linguistically Diverse
CAMHS - Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
CAMHSAC - West Australian Child and Adolescent Mental health Services Advisory Committee
Top of pageCANARIE - Canadian Advanced Network and Research for Industry and Education
Cancer - A range of diseases where some of the body’s cells begin to multiply out of control, can invade and damage the area around them, and can also spread to other parts of the body to cause further damage
CAP - Crisis Accommodation Program
CAP - Conditional Adjustment Payment
CAPAM - Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management
CAPIG - Central Australian PHCAP Implementation Group - DHCS,CAAC,OATSIH,AMSANT
Capital expenditure - Expenditure on large-scale fixed assets (for example, new buildings and equipment with a useful life extending over a number of years)
CAPS - Capital & Approved Provider Section
CAR - Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation
CARDHS - Central Australian Remote Health Development Service
Cardiovascular disease - Any disease of the heart (cardio) or blood vessels (vascular). Includes heart attack, angina, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Also known as circulatory disease
CARG - Commonwealth AIDS Research Grants
Top of pageCARIHPC - Central Australian Regional Indigenous Health Planning Committee (defunct)
CARO - Canadian Association of Radiation Oncologists
CARPA - Central Australian Rural Practitioners Association
CASA - Consumer’s Association of South Australia
Casemix - The range and types of patients (the mix of cases) treated by a hospital or other health service. This provides a way of describing and comparing hospitals and other services for planning and managing health care. Casemix classifications put patients into manageable numbers of groups with similar conditions that use similar healthcare resources, so that the activity and cost-efficiency of different hospitals can be compared
CASG&FAC - Central Australian Stolen Generations and Families Aboriginal Corporation
CASPE - Clinical Accountability, Service Planning and Evaluation
CATI - Computer Assisted Telephone Interview
CATI TRG - Computer Assisted Telephone Interview System Technical Group
CATSIN - Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses
Top of pageCause of death - From information reported on the medical certificate of cause of death, each death assigned an underlying cause of death according to rules and conventions of the 9th or 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. The underlying cause is defined as the disease which initiated the train of events leading directly to death. Deaths from injury or poisoning are classified according to the circumstances of the violence which produced the fatal injury, rather than to the nature of the injury
CAYLUS - Central Australian Youth Link-up Ser
CAYPIN - Central Australian Young People’s Information Network
CBA - Cost-benefit Analysis
CBD - Central Business District
CBE - clinical breast examination
CBI - Care-giver Burden Inventory
CBT/A - Competency Based Training/Assessment
CC - Care Coordination (ACAP)
CCA - Cost-consequence analysis
CCAS - Corporate Coordination and Support Branch (Queensland Office)
CCB - Community Care Branch
CCCA - Clinical Casemix Committee Australia
CCCG - Clinical Coding and Classification
Top of pageCCCN - Cochrane Collaboration Consumer Network
CCEB - Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
CCISC - Comprehensive Continuous Integrated System of Care
CCOHTA - Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (became CADTH in April 2006)
CCORE - Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes Research and Evaluation
CCP - Community Care Packages
CCR - Community Care Review
CCRC - Commonwealth Care Respite Centre
CCSA - Clinical Coders’ Society of Australia
CCSM - Chronic Care Self Management
CCTs - Coordinated Care Trials
CD - Collection District
CDAP - Centre for Drug and Alcohol Programs
CDB - Corporate Development Branch
Top of pageCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC - Centers for Disease Control (now CDCP)
CDC - Commercial Development Corporation - joint ventures with Indigenous people and industry
CDCB - Communicable Diseases Control Branch (S.A.)
CDCP - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (formerly CDC)
CDEP - Community Development Employment Project – DEWR
CDI - Communicable Diseases Intelligence (journal)
CDI - Chronic Disease Initiative
CDIH - Centre for Development and Innovation in Health
CDM - Chronic Disease Management
CDNA - Communicable Diseases Network Australia
CDNANZ - Communicable Diseases Network of Australian and New Zealand
CDO - CentreLink Disability Officer
CDS - Commonwealth Disability Strategy
CDSCA - Northern Territory Department of Community Development, Sport and Cultural Affairs (including NT Housing)
CDSM - Chronic Disease Self Management
CDSMC - Community and Disability Services Ministers' Conference
CE - Chief Executive
CEA - Cost-effectiveness Analysis
CEDA - Committee for Economic Development Australia
CEIs - Chief Executive Instructions
CEIDA - Centre for Education and Information on Drug Abuse
CEN - Coding Educators Network
Top of pageCensus - A census is a count of a whole population. The Census of Population and Housing measures the number of people in Australia and their key characteristics, at a given point in time. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) conducts the Census every five years, the last was inAugust 2001
CEO - Chief Executive Officer
CER - Charge Exempt Resident
CES - Charge Exempt Supplement/Subsidy
CEWT - Carer Education and Workforce Training
CF - Complement fixation
CFA - Continence Foundation of Australia
CFO - Chief Financial Officer
CFROG - Commonwealth Food Regulation Officials Group
CGC - Commonwealth Grants Commission
CGHFBC - Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer
CGI-I - Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement
CGI-S - Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness
CGPIS - Centre for General Practice Integration Studies (UNSW)
CHA - Catholic Health Australia
CHAP - Comprehensive Health Assessment Program
CHASP - Community Health Accreditation and Standards Program
CHERI - Children’s Hospital Education and Research Institute
CHETRE - Centre for Health Equity, Training Research and Evaluation
CHF - Consumers’ Health Forum of Australia
Change management - The process of developing a planned approach to change in an organisation. The objective is to make the best of the shared efforts of all people involved in the change.
CHID - Community Health Information Development Project
Top of pageChief Executive Instructions (CEIs) - Instructions issued by the Chief Executive Officer. They outline the mandatory requirements within which all Departmental officials must work. The CEIs carry the force of the law and officials must comply with them
CHIM - Community Health Information Model
CHIME - Community Health Information Management Enterprise
CHINS - Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey
CHIP - Community Housing and Infrastructure Program - transferred to FACS on 1 July 2004
CHIP - Child and Youth Health Intergovernmental Partnership
CHIPS - Commonwealth Hostel Information and Payments System
CHIS - Community Health Information System
CHP - Community Health Program
CHPE - Centre for Health Program Evaluation
CHRIS - Cheque Reconciliation and Information Service
CHROMES - Chromosome Handicapped Research Organisation for Medicine Education and Support
Top of pageChronic - Persistent and long-lasting.
Chronic diseases - Term applied to a diverse group of diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and arthritis (to name a few), that tend to be long-lasting and persistent in their symptoms or development. Although these features also apply to some communicable diseases (infections), the general term chronic diseases is usually confined to noncommunicable diseases
CHS - Community Health Service
CHSRF - Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
CHW - Community Health Worker
CI - Confidence Intervals
CIARR - Client Information Assessment and Referral Record
CIB - Current Issue Brief
CIHR - Canadian Institutes of Health Research
CIJIG - Commonwealth Interdepartmental JETACAR Implementation Group
CIMC - Cardiac Imaging Management Committee
CIPs- Community Initiatives Projects
CIPs - Continuous Improvement Projects
Circumstance - All the factors connected with or influencing an event, agent or person/s
CISP - Carer Information & Support Program
CITEC - Company taken over DOFA payment processing and reporting from 1/7/99
CJD - Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
C/L - Centrelink
Top of pageCLAP - Cleft Lip and Palate
CLC - Central Land Council
CLIPP - Consultation and liaison in primary care psychiatry
Clinical information system - A system that collects, stores, retrieves, and communicates health related data, information and knowledge
Clinical terminology - Consistent terms used to exchange or message medical information
CLSI - Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (formerly NCCLS)
CMA - Comprehensive medical assessment
CMA - Cost minimisation analysis
CMAU - Contract Management Advisory Unit
CME - Continuing Medical Education (known as CPD from January 2002)
CMEC - Complementary Medicines Evaluation Committee
CMF - Corporate Management Forum
CMH - Child & Maternal Health
CMI - Consumer medicine information
CML - Common Mini Ledger
CMO - Chief Medical Officer
Top of pageCMOA - Career Medical Officers Association
CN - Competitive Neutrality
CO - Central Office
COAG - Council of Australian Governments
COI - Candidate outcome indicator
COI - Communities of Interest
COI - Conflict of Interest
COMCAS - Community Health Client Administration System
Complaint - An expression of dissatisfaction with something
CONA - Community-oriented Needs Assessment Model
COO - Chief Operations Officer
COPD - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
COPO - Commonwealth Own Purpose Outlays
COPs - Community Options Projects
COPMI - Children of Parents with a Mental Illness
COS - Chief of Staff (in Minister's Office)
COSA - Clinical Oncological Society of Australia
Top of pageCOTA - Council on the Ageing
CPA - Community Pharmacy Agreement
CPA - Commonwealth Public Account
CPD - Continuing Professional Development (formerly CME)
CPGs - Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines
CPHCE - Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity (UNSW)
CPHI - Canadian Population Health Initiative
CPI - Consumer Price Index
CPM - Collector of Public Monies
CPMC - Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges
CPMEC - Confederation of Postgraduate Medical Education Committee
CPP - Community Partners Program
CPSU - Community and Public Sector Union
CQI - Continuous Quality Improvement
Top of pageCRANA - Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia
CRCAH - Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health (formerly CRCATH)
CRCATH - Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health (now CRCAH)
CREAM - Clinical, Research, Education, Administration, and Mixed
Credentialling - The process of assessing and conferring approval on a person’s suitability to provide a defined type of healthcare.
CRF - Consolidated Revenue Fund
CRG - Consumer Reference Group
CRGWG - Clinical Registry Governance Working Group
CRIH - Chemical Review and International Harmonisation (former section of the Office of Chemical Safety
CRM - Client Relations Manager
CRNHC - Centre for Research into Nursing and Health Care
CRG - Consumer Reference Group
CROS - Canadian Radiation Oncology Services
CRS - Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service
CRS - Complaints Resolution Scheme (Aged Care)
CRU - Community Resource Unit Incorporated
CSA - Control Self Assessment - DoHA staff performance
CSAC - Coding Standards Advisory Committee
CSANZ - Cardiac Society of Australia & New Zealand
CSB - Corporate Support Branch
Top of pageCSD - Corporate Services Division
CSDA - Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement
CSF - Cerebrospinal fluid
CSG - Cancer Strategies Group
CSHA - Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement
CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
CSL - Commonwealth Serum Laboratories
CSMAC - Community Services Ministers' Advisory Council
CSMC - Community Services Ministerial Council
CSO - Community Service Obligation
CSOD - Community Service Obligation Distributor
CSOM - Chronic suppurative otitis media
CSQ-8 - Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (eight-item version)
CSR - Certificate Signing Request
CSSP - Clinical Support Systems Program of the RACP
CSSS - Community Sector Support Scheme
CSTDA - Commonwealth, State/Territory Disability Agreement
CSU - Charles Sturt University
CT - Computerised tomography
Top of pageCTEC - Collaborative Training and Education Centre (also known as the Centre for Medical and Surgical Skills) at the University of Western Australia
CTO - Community Treatment Order
CTP - Capital Transition Payment
CUA - Cost-utility analysis
CULC - Consumer Union Liaison Committee
CVD - Cardiovascular disease
CVS - Community Visitors Scheme
CWA - Cardiolipin wasserman reaction
CWAATSICH - Charleville and Western Areas Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Health
CWCA - Comprehensive Work Capacity Assessment
CYH - Child and Youth Health
CYWHS - Children, Youth & Women’s Health Service
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D
DAA - Dieticians Association of AustraliaDAA - Department for Aboriginal Affairs NSW
DAAR - South Australia Department for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation
DACAS - Drug and Alcohol Clinical Advisory Service – for health professionals
DADHC - NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care
DAFF - Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
DALE - Disability Adjusted Life Expectancy
DALYs - Disability-adjusted life years
DAM - Dam Assessment Methodology
DARE - Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness
DAS - former Department of Administrative Services
DASA - Drug and Alcohol Services Association (run residential rehabilitation in Alice Springs)
DASC - Drug and Alcohol Services Council
DATIS - Drug and therapeutic Information Service
Top of pageDBA - Database Administration
DBCDE - Dept. of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (December 2007-)
DBERD - Northern Territory Dept. of Business, Economic and Regional Development
DC&V - Data Collection & Verification
DCLS - Darwin Community Legal Service (NT)
DCM - Document Content Management
DCS - Domiciliary Care & Rehabilitation Services
DCSH - Department of Community Services and Health (former name of this Department)
DDAC - Divisions Development Advisory Committee
DDB - Department Data Base
DEAG - Divisions Evaluation Advisory Group
Decision support system - Process where a computer stores a set of best practice rules or knowledge and checks information entered into the system against that information.
DEET - Northern Territory Dept. of Employment, Education and Training
Top of pageDeinstitutionalisation - A term referring to a shift in service delivery away from institutional care, towards care in the home and community.
DEEWR - Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (December 2007-)
Dementia - A general and worsening loss of brain power such as memory, understanding and reasoning.
DEN - Drug Education Network
DEN - dengue fever
Departmental - Assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses directly controlled by agencies.
Departmental outputs - Four common 'departmental' outputs are reported for each of the ten output groups. Broadly, these outputs are the direct product of the policy, management and administrative functions of DoHA.
Depression - A mood disorder with prolonged feelings of being sad, hopeless, low and inadequate, with a loss of interest or pleasure in activities and often with suicidal thoughts or self-blame.
Dep Sec - Deputy Secretary
DEST - former Department of Education, Science and Training
DETYA - former Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (later name DEST)
DEWHA - Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (December 2007-)
DEWR - former Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
DFA - Direct fluorescence assay
Top of pageDFAT - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
DG&V - Data Gathering & Verification
DGP - Divisions of General Practice
DH - Department of Health (former name of this Department)
DHA - Department of Health and Ageing (use DoHA)
DHAC - Department of Health and Aged Care (former name of this Department)
DHCS - Dept. of Health and Community Services (Northern Territory Govt.)
DHCSS - Disability Health Care Support Service
DHFS - Department of Health and Family Services (former name of this Department)
DHHCS - Department of Health, Housing and Community Services (former name of this Department)
Top of pageDHHLGCS - Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services (former name of this Department)
DHHS - Department of Health and Human Services (Tasmanian Govt.)
DHS - Department of Human Services (Australian and Victorian Governments)
DHSH - Department of Human Services and Health (former name of this Department)
DI - Diagnostic Imaging
DIA - Drug Information Association
Diagnosis - A decision based on the recognition of clinically relevant symptomatology, the consideration of causes that may exclude a diagnosis of another condition, and the application of clinical judgment.
DIMA - former Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
DIMIA - former Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs
DIR - Dealings involving Intentional Release of genetically modified organisms into the environment
Direct bill - The process by which a medical practitioner or optometrist sends the bill for services direct to Medicare, often referred to as bulk billing.
DIRKS - Designing and Implementing a RecordKeeping System
Disability - A concept of several dimensions relating to an impairment in body structure or function, a limitation in activities (such as mobility and communication), a restriction in participation (involvement in life situations such as work, social interaction and education), and the affected person’s physical and social environment.
Discrete Indigenous community - A geographical location with a physical or legal boundary that is inhabited or intended to be inhabited predominantly (more than 50%) by Indigenous people, with housing and infrastructure that is either owned or managed on a community basis.
Top of pageDisease - A physiological or psychological dysfunction
Disposable Income - Gross income less direct tax and Medicare levy.
DIT - Doctors-in-Training
DLO - Divisional Liaison Officer (Within the Department)
DLO - Departmental Liaison Officer (in Ministers' Offices)
DLP - Defect Liability Period - of building contracts, usually 6 or 12 months from practical completion
DLRS - Detailed Level Requirements Specification
DLU - Divisional Liaison Unit
DMC - Departmental Management Committee
Dmft - A count of the sum of deciduous (baby) teeth (t) that are decayed (d), missing due to caries (m), an filled due to caries (F
Top of pageDMO - District Medical Officer
DMMR - Domiciliary Medication Management Review
DMS - Document Management System
DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNCB - Domiciliary Nursing Care Benefit
DNIR - Dealings not involving Intentional Release of genetically modified organisms into the environment
DO - Day Only
DOC - Duties other than Consulting
DoFA - former Department of Finance and Administration
DOG - Departmental Offices Guide
DOGIT - Deeds of Grant in Trust
DoHA - Department of Health and Ageing
Donor - A person who gives blood, tissue or an organ to be used in another person.
DOPIE - former Department of Primary Industries and Energy
DOTRS - former Department of Transport and Regional Services
DPGP - Demonstration Practice Grants Program
DPH - Darwin Private Hospital
DPP - Director of Public Prosecutions
DR - Disaster Recovery
DRE - digital rectal examination
DRGs (diagnosis related groups) - A widely used type of casemix classification system. In the case of Australian acute hospitals, AN-DRGs (Australian National Diagnosis Related Groups) classify admissions into groups with similar clinical conditions (related diagnoses) and similar resource usage. This allows the activity and performance of hospitals to be compared on a common basis. See also casemix.
Top of pageDRM - Drawing Rights Manager
DRS - Doctors Reform Society
DRWG - Data Reform Working Group
DSA - Dementia Support for Assessment Program
DSC - Divisions Standing Committee
DSG - Divisions Steering Group
DSM-IV - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition
DSP - Disability Support Pension
DSS - Department of Social Security (Now FACS – Department of Family and Community Services)
DTC - Day Therapy Centres
DTP - Diptheria Tetanus Petussis
DURC - Descriptor Utilisation Review Committee
DUSC - Drug Utilisation Sub-Committee
DVA - Department of Veterans' Affairs
DVDC - Diabetes Vaccine Development Centre
DVT - Deep Vein Thrombosis
DWG - Data Working Group (ACAP)
DWG - Design Working Group (Medicare Australia)
DWS - District of Workforce Shortage
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E
E&E - Enhancement and ExpansionEA - Executive Assistant
EACH - Extended Aged Care at Home
EACH Dementia - Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia
EACH D - Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia
EAGA - Expert Advisory Group on Antibiotics
EAGAR - Expert Advisory Group on Antimicrobial Resistance
EAN - European Article Numbering (system)
EAP - Employee Assistance Program
Eating disorder - Clinically severe disturbances in eating behaviour, such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa.
EB - Extra billing
EBHC - Evidence-based health care
EBM - Evidence-based medicine
EC - Electronic Commerce
Top of pageECG - Electrocardiogram
ECLIPSE - Electronic Claim Lodgement and Information Processing Service Environment
ECS - Exceptional Claims Scheme
ED - Emergency Department
EDIS - Emergency Department Information Service
EDRMS - Electronic Document Record Management System
EDS - Electronic Data Systems
EDS - Electronic Decision Support
EDSSC - Electronic Decision Support Steering Committee
EEBAP - Executive Editorial Board of Australian Prescriber
EEO - Equal Employment Opportunities
Effectiveness - The extent to which actual outcomes are achieved, in terms of the planned outcomes, via relevant outputs or administered expenses. An intervention's effectiveness should be distinguished from its efficiency, which concerns the adequacy of its administration.
EFTPOS - Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale
EHC - Eye Health Coordinator
EHR - Electronic health record
EIA - Enzyme immunoassay
EIS - Ethical Issue Scale
EL - Executive Level
Electronic messaging - The use of computers to send, receive and process emails and other information.
EM - E-mail
EMA - Emergency Management Australia
Employed Person - A person aged 15 years or more who, during the reference week of the labour force survey, worked for one hour or more for pay, profit or commission.
Top of pageEMR - Electronic Medical Record
EMS - Environmental Management System
EMSN - extended Medicare safety net, introduced on 12 March 2004 to cover 80 per cent of out-of-pocket costs for Medicare-claimable services provided outside hospital once annual thresholds are reached.
EMT - Executive Management Team
EN - Enrolled Nurse
ENT - Ear Nose and Throat
EOI - Expression of Interest
EoM - End of Message
EORTC - European Organisation for Research and Treatment on Cancer
EPA - Environment Protection Authority
EPAC - Economic Planning Advisory Council
EPC - Enhanced Primary Care
Epidemic - An outbreak of a disease or its occurrence at a level that is clearly higher than previously existed.
Epidemiology - The study of the patterns and causes of health and disease in populations, and the application of this study to improve health.
Top of pageEPG - Electronic Patient Group
EPP - Exposure Prone Procedure
EPS - Electoral Profile System (department's)
EPU - Executive Policy Unit
EQ-5D - European Quality-5 Dimensions
ERP - Estimated resident population
ERP - Enterprise Resources Planning
Error - Unintentionally being wrong in conduct or judgement. Errors may occur by doing the wrong thing (commission) or by failing to do the right thing (omission)
ESC - Economics Sub-Committee
ESD - Ecologically Sustainable Development
ERF - Emergency Relief Funding
ESA - Endorsed Supplier Agreement
ESG - Evaluation Steering Group
ESR - Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (New Zealand)
ESRD - End-stage renal disease
Top of pageESS - Employee Self Service
ESS - Extra Service Status
Estimated Resident Population - Australia’s population statistics are compiled by the ABS according to the place of usual residence of the population. Usual residence is defined as the place where a person has lived or intends to live for a period of 6 months or more.
ESTRO - European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
ETA - Electronic Transaction Act 1999
ETL - Extract, Transfer & Load
ETS - Environmental Tobacco Smoke
EU - European Union
Event - Something that happens to or with a person
EWA - Eat Well Australia
EXEC - Executive
External Cause - Environmental event, circumstance and/or condition as the cause of injury, poisoning and/or other adverse effect. Used in disease classification.
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F
FAA - Funds Allocation AuthorityFAAD - Frail Aged and Disabled Program
FACS - Family and Children’s Services, NT Health
FaCSIA - Department of Family, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
FaCS - Department of Family and Community Services
FAD - Family Assessment Device
FAG - Federal Assistance Grants
FaHCSIA - Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (December 2007-)
FAIRA - Foundation of Aboriginal and Islander Research Action
FAP - familial adenomatous polyposis
FAS - First Assistant Secretary (also known as Division Head)
FASA - Funding and Service Agreement
FASSTT - Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma
FA&T or FAT - Function Activity & Transactions
FAYS - Family and Youth Services
FBT - Fringe Benefits Tax
FCEO - Finance Chief Executive Officer
FCTC - Framework Convention for Tobacco Control
FDR - Fund Debit Requester
FECCA - Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia
FINEST - Financial Efficiency and Strategic Planning System
Financial Management and Accountability Act - This is the principal legislation governing the proper use of public money, public property and other Commonwealth resources. It is one of three pieces of legislation, which replaced the Audit Act 1901. The other two pieces of legislation are the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act and the Auditor-General Act.
Top of pageFIRM - Financial Information Resource Management System
FMA - Financial Management and Accountability
FMA Act - Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997
FMA Orders - Financial Management and Accountability Orders
FMA Regulations - Financial Management and Accountability Regulations
FMO - Financial Minister’s Orders
FMP - Family Medicine Programme
FMRC - Family Medicine Research Centre
FMS - Financial Management System
FNA - For necessary action
FNQ - Far North Queensland
FOBT - faecal occult blood test
FOCIS - Federation of Canteens in Schools
Top of pageFOI - Freedom of Information
FPA - Family Planning Association
FPO - Family Planning Organisations
FPP - Family Planning Program
FRACGP - Fellowship of RACGP
FRAME - Federation of Australian Medical Educators
Freestanding Day Hospital Facility - A private hospital where only minor operations and other procedures not requiring overnight stay are performed, not forming part of any private hospital providing overnight care.
FRLI - Federal Register of Legislative Instruments
FRO - Faculty of Radiation Oncology
FRSC - Food Regulation Standing Committee
FSANZ -Food Standards Australia New Zealand
FTA - Free Trade Agreement
FTA-ABS - Fluorescent treponemal antibody absorbed
FTE - Full Time Equivalent
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) - A standardised measure used in converting number of persons in part-time employment to number of persons in full-time employment.
Full-time/Part-time workers - Full-time workers are those who work 35 or more hours per week; part-time workers work between one and 35 hours per week.
FWE - Full-time workload equivalent
FYI - For your information
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G
GAA - Graduate Administrative AssistantGAAP - Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
GAMSAT - Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test
GAPP - Graduate Assistance and Partnerships Program
GAPS - Graduate Australian Public Servant
GAPS - Grant and Allocation Processing System
GAS - Group A streptococcus
GBE - Government Business Enterprise
GBS - Global Business Services
GC - General Counsel
GCBS - Global Collaboration for Blood Safety
GCT - Glucose Challenge Test
GDP - Gross Domestic Product
GEHR - Good Electronic Health Record
Top of pageGeo-coding - Giving a geographic identifier or code to locations, such as an address, allowing data to be linked.
GES - Gay Education Strategies Project, AFAO
GHTF - Global Harmonisation Task Force
GIS - Geographic Information System
GISCA - Geographical Information System Cooperative of Adelaide
GLBT - Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender
GM - Genetically Modified
GMAC - Gene Manipulation Advisory Committee
GMC - General Medical Council
GMO - Genetically Modified Organisms
GMP - Good Manufacturing Practice
GMS - General Medical Services
Top of pageGovernance - Method or system of government or management.
GPMoU - General Practice Memorandum of Understanding
gp - Glycoprotein
GP - General Practitioner or General Practice
GPA - General Practice Australia
GPA - General Practice Accreditation Plus
GPAC - General Practice Advisory Committee
GPARIA - GP Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia
GPASC - General Practice Accreditation Steering Group
GPB - General Practice Branch (DOHA)
GPCC - General Practice Consultative Committee
GPCG - General Practice Computing Group
Top of pageGPCG - General Practice Consultative Group
GPDV - General Practice Divisions - Victoria Ltd.
GPEA - General Practice Education Australia
GPEP - General Practice Evaluation Program
GPET - General Practice Education and Training
GPETC - General Practice Education and Training Council
GPFG - General Practice Financing Group
GPIHSP - General Practice Indigenous Health Improvement Support Program
GPII - General Practice Immunisation Incentive
GPLO - General Practice Liaison Officer
GPPHCNT - General Practice and Primary Health Care Northern Territory
GPOG - General Practice Ordering Guidelines (QUPC Subcommittee)
GPPAC - General Practice Partnership Advisory Council
Top of pageGP PACE - General Practitioners as Health Planners, Advocates & Community Educators
GPQ - General Practice Queensland
GPR - General Practice Registrar
GPRA - General Practice Registrars Australia Ltd.
GPRED - General Practice Research, Evaluation and Development
GPRG - General Practice Reference Group
GPRIP - General Practice Rural Incentives Program
GPRLO - GP Registrar Liaison Officer
GPRN - General Practice Research Network
GPRRP - General Practice Rural and Remote Program
GPRTF - General Practice Remuneration Task Force
GPS - General Practice Strategy
GPS - Global Positioning System
GPSA - General Practice Society of Australia
Top of pageGPSCU - General Practice Statistics and Classification Unit (University of Sydney)
GPSLO - GP Supervisor Liaison Officer
GPSR - General Practice Strategy Review
GPSRG - General Practice Strategy Review Group
GPTR - General Practice Training Review
GPWG - General Practice Working Group
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - A statistic commonly used to indicate national wealth. It is the total market value of goods and services produced within a given period after deducting the cost of goods and services used up in the process of production but
before deducting allowances for the consumption of fixed capital.
GSLP - Government Sector Linkages Program
GST - Goods and Services Tax
GTCCC - Gene Technology Community Consultative Committee
GTN - Global Training Network
GTS - Global Technology Services
GUI - Graphic User Interface
GVAMHS - Goulburn Valley Area Mental Health Service
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H
HAC - Health Advisory CommitteeHAC - Health and Aged Care (Department of )
HACC - Home and Community Care
HACSU - Health and Community Services Union
HAFD - Health Access and Financing Division
HAHU - Heads of Aboriginal Health Units
HALE - Healthy Life Expectancy
Handicap - A disadvantage resulting from impairment or disability that limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is normal.
HAPS - Health and Ageing Postgraduate Studies
HAPS - Hunter Area Pathology Service
Harm - Harm includes disease, injury, suffering, disability and death
HARP - Hospital Admission Risk Program in Victoria
HAV - Hepatitis A virus
Hazard - A circumstance or agent that can lead to harm, damage or loss
Hb - Haemoglobin
HbA1c - Haemoglobin A1c (glycosylated haemoglobin)
HBGs - Health Benefits Groups
HBsAG - Hepatitis B surface antigen
HBV - Hepatitis B virus
HCC - Hepatocellular carcinoma
HCC - Health Call Centre/Contact Centre
HCCS - High Cost Claims Scheme
HCN - Health Communication Network
HCRRA - Health Consumers of Rural and Remote Australia
HCS - Home Care Services
Top of pageHCV - Hepatitis C virus
HDA - Higher Duties Allowance
HDSC - Health Data Standards Committee
HDV - Hepatitis D virus
HEADWEST - Head Injured Society of Western Australia Inc.
Health - Department of Health and Ageing
Health - Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Health - A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
Health Care - Services provided to individuals or communities to promote, maintain, monitor, or restore health. Health care is not limited to medical care and includes self-care.
Health Care Card - These cards provide for medical and/or related services free of charge or at reduced rates to recipients of Commonwealth government pensions or benefits.
Health care outcome - The health status of an individual, a group of people or a population which is wholly or partially attributable to an action, agent or circumstance
Top of pageHealthcare provider - Health professional or health organisation involved in supplying health services.
HealthConnect - This is a network of electronic health records that aims to improve the flow of information across the Australian health sector.
Health informatics - The application of information technology to healthcare.
Health Promotion - Activities to improve health and prevent disease.
Health Status - An individual’s or population’s overall level of health, taking account of various aspects such as life expectancy, amount of disability, levels of disease risk factors and so forth.
HEALY - Health Adjusted Life Year
Heart attack - Life threatening emergency that occurs when a vessel supplying blood to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked completely by a blood clot. The medical term commonly used for a heart attack is myocardial infarction.
HECS - Higher Education Contribution Scheme
HELP - Higher Education Loan Programme
Hepatitis - Inflammation of the liver, which can be due to certain viral infections, alcohol excess or a range of other causes.
Hepatitis B - Viral disease of the liver caused by the Hepatitis B virus.
Hepatitis C - Viral disease of the liver caused by the Hepatitis C virus. Now the most commonly reported notifiable disease in Australia.
Top of pageHeSA - Health e-Signature Authority Pty Ltd
HESTA - Health Employees Superannuation Trust Australia
HETB - Health Education and Training Branch
HEV - Hepatitis E virus
HFH - Housing for Health
HFL - Healthy for Life
HFS - Department of Health and Family Services (former name this Department)
HHLGCS - Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services (former name this Department
HHSC - Hospitals and Health Services Commission
Hib - Haemophilus Influenzae type B
HIC - Health Insurance Commission (now Medicare Australia)
HICOA - Health Injury Council of Australia
HIDC - Health Industry Development Centre
High level residential aged care - Residential aged care services delivered to residents with high levels of dependency. These are approximately equivalent to the services delivered by nursing homes in the past.
Highly specialised drugs - Under Section 100 of the National Health Act, certain drugs (for example, Cyclosporin) can only be supplied to community patients through hospitals because the hospitals can provide the facilities or staff necessary for the appropriate use of the drugs. These drugs are funded by the Commonwealth separately from the PBS.
HIID - Health Industry and Invesment Division
HIM - Health Information Management/Manager
HIMAA - Health Information Management Association of Australia
Top of pageHIPP - Health Infrastructure Priority Projects Plan under CHIP in ATSIC
HIRC - Health Inequalities Research Collaboration
HIRMAA - Health Insurance Restricted Membership Association of Australia
HISA - Health Informatics Society of Australia
HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HIV/AIDS - Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
HL7 - Health Level 7 (messaging standard)
HLAA - High Level Architectural Assessment (carried out by BAA)
HLN - Health Leaders Network
HLRS - High Level Requirements Specification
HMAC - Housing Ministers Advisory Council
HMA - Healthcare Management Advisors
HMCU - Health Ministers Coordination Unit
HMO - Health maintenance organisation
HMR - Home Medicines Review
HNPCC - hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer
HOD - Head of Discipline
Hodgkin’s disease (Hodgkin’s lymphoma) - A cancer marked by progressive painless enlargement of lymph nodes throughout the body. A form of lymphoma.
Hospitalisation - The term used to refer to the episode of care, which can be a total hospital stay (from admission to discharge, transfer or death), or a portion of a hospital stay beginning and ending in a change of type of care (for example, from acute to rehabilitation).
HOOP - Health Outcome-Oriented Problem
HOOPS - Health Outcome-Oriented Problem Segmentation
Top of pageHOP - Home Ownership Program - now run by Indigenous Business Australia
HORSCATSIA - House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
Hostel - Establishment for people who cannot live independently but who do not need nursing care in a hospital or nursing home. Hostels provide board, lodging or accommodation and cater mostly for the aged, distressed or disabled. Residents are generally responsible for their own provisions but may be given domestic assistance such as help with meals, laundry and personal care.
HPA - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984
HPCA - Health Professionals Council of Australia
HPGs - Health Program Grants
HPI - Healthcare Provider Identifier
HPPA - Hospital Purchaser-Provider Agreement
HPU - Hospital Planning Unit
HPV - Human papilloma virus
HREOC - Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
HR - Human Resources
HR&CA - Health Rights & Community Action
HREC - Human Research Ethics Committees
HRGs - Health Resource Groups
HRMC - Human Resource Management Committee
HRQL - Health-related quality of life
HRT - hormone replacement therapy
Top of pageHS - Health Service
HSA - Health Sciences Authority
HSA - Health Services Australia
HSAK - Healthy School Age Kids Program - NT Health
HSD - Health Services Division
HSDB - Health Service Delivery Building
HSDO - Health Services Development Officer - non-ongoing position to implement PHCAP
HSDWP - Highly Specialised Drugs Working Party
HSID - Health Services Improvement Division
HSMAs - Health and Safety Management Arrangements
HSRG - Health Service Research Group
HSUA - Health Services Union of Australia
HSWCS - Health & Social Welfare Councils
HTA - Health Technology Assessment
HTIC - Health Targets and Implementation Committee
HTML - Hypertext Markup Language
HUS - Haemolytic uraemic syndrome
HWIM&ICTCBWG - Health Workforce IM&ICT Capacity Building Working Group
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I
IAEA - International Atomic Energy AgencyIASHC - Indigenous Australians Sexual Health Committee
IARC - International Agency for Research on Cancer
Iatrogenic - Arising from or associated with healthcare rather than an underlying disease or injury
IATSIS - Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
IBA - Indigenous Business Australia - runs commercial activities to benefit Indigenous Australians
IBC - Institutional Biosafety Committee
IBDP - Indigenous Business Development Programme - run by IBA
IBM GSA - IBM Global Services Australia (Company providing IT to the Department)
IBNR - Incurred But Not Reported
ICAAP - International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific
ICC - Indigenous Coordination Centre
Top of pageICD - Information and Communication Division
ICD - International Classification of Diseases
ICD-9-CM - International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification
ICD-10-AM - International classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Australian modification
ICDH - International Classification of Disability and Handicaps
ICF - International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health
ICG - Infection Control Guidelines
ICHO - Indigenous Community Housing Organisations
ICP - Integrated Care Program
ICPC - International Classification of Primary Care
ICPC-2 - International Classification of Primary Care – 2nd ed.
ICPC-2PLUS - International Classification of Primary Care, 2nd ed. Plus
ICPMR - Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research
ICRP - International Commission on Radiological Protection
Top of pageICRS - Innovative Care Rehabilitation Service
ICRU - International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements
ICT - Information and Communication Technology
ICTSC - Information Communications Technology Standards Committee
ICU - Intensive Care Unit
ID - Industrial Democracy
IDC - Interdepartmental Committee
IDDM - Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
IDP - Individual Development Plan
IDU - Injecting drug user
IEC - Institutional Ethics Committee
Top of pageIEC - International Electrotechnical Commission
IFA - Indirect fluorescent antibody
IFHRO - International Federation of Health Records Organisations
IFPCRN - International Federation of Primary Care Research Networks
IFRS - International Financial Reporting Standards
Ig - Immunoglobulin
IGCARD - Intergovernmental Committee on AIDS Related Disease (now IGCAHRD)
IGCAHRD - Intergovernmental Committee on AIDS, Hepatitis C and Related Diseases
IGCD - Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs
IHA - Indirect haemagglutination
IHANT - Indigenous Housing Authority Northern Territory
IHD - Ischaemic heart disease
IHES - Indigenous Housing & Essential Services Unit - NT
Top of pageIHI - Institute of Healthcare Improvement
IHIP - Indigenous Health Infrastructure Program
IHMS - Indenous Housing Management System
IHO - Indigenous Housing Organisation
IHR - International Health Regulations
IHR - Institute of Health Research
IHS - Indigenous Health Survey
IHSHY - Innovative Services for Homeless Youth
IIC - Infrastructure Issues Committee
ILAP - Integrated Local Area Planning
ILC - Industry Liaison Committee
Illicit drugs - Refers to a variety of substances that are either illegal to possess, or legally available, but used inappropriately. In the 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, the term ‘illicit drugs’ included marijuana/cannabis, pain-killers/analgesics, tranquillisers/sleeping pills, steroids, barbiturates, inhalents, heroin, methadone, other opiates, amphetamines, cocaine, hallucinogens, ecstasy/designer drugs, and injected drugs.
ILO - Indigenous Liaison Officer
ILRS - Intermediate Level Requirements Specification
IM - Information Management
IM/IT - Information Management/Information Technology
IM&ICT - Information management and information communications technology
IM&T - Information Management and Technology
IME - Improved Monitoring of Entitlements
Top of pageIMG - International Medical Graduate (formerly known as Overseas Trained Doctor)
Immunisation - Inducing immunity against infection by the use of antigen to stimulate the body to produce its own antibodies. See vaccination.
IMPACT - Interdisciplinary Maternal Perinatal Australasian Clinical Trials Network
Impairment - Any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function.
IMS - Information Management Services
IMSG - Information Management Strategy Group
IMVS - Institute of Medical & Veterinary Science (Adelaide)
IMWP - Information Management Working Party
Incidence - The number of new cases (of an illness or event etc.) occurring during a given period. Compare with prevalence.
Incident - An event or circumstance which could have resulted, or did result, in unintended or unnecessary harm to a person and/or a complaint, loss or damage
Indemnity - A legally binding promise whereby one party undertakes to accept the risk of loss or damage another may suffer.
Indicator (Health indicator) - A key statistic that indicates an aspect of population health status, health determinants, interventions, services or outcomes. Indicators are designed to help assess progress and performance, as a guide to decision making. They may have an indirect meaning as well as a direct one; for example, Australia’s overall death rate is a direct measure of mortality but is often used as a major indicator of population health.
Indigenous - A person who identifies himself or herself as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin and is accepted as such by the community in which he or she lives. (The ‘Commonwealth Definition’ given in High Court Judgement 1983).
Infants - Children aged less than 1 year.
Inflammation - Local response to injury or infection, marked by local redness, heat, swelling and pain. Can also occur when there is no clear external cause and the body reacts against itself, as in the auto-immune disorders.
Information management - The process of defining, evaluating, protecting and distributing data within an organisation, and the technology used to send data to other organisations.
Informed consent - Permission granted by an individual to use their health information for a specific purpose, with an understanding of what they are agreeing to.
Top of pageING - Inter-Divisional Network Group
Injury - Damage to tissues caused by an agent or circumstance
Intellectual Property - Intellectual Property is a right which may, for example, enable the use of material which is subject to copyright, or patented invention, or computer software developed by Commonwealth employees in the course of their duty, consultants or contractors engaged to provide a specific service or product. Often such rights have considerable value. It is important, the Department ensures that the Commonwealth's rights are properly protected and that any financial benefit arising from these developments is optimised for the benefit of the Commonwealth.
International Classification of Diseases - The World Health Organization’s internationally accepted classification of death and disease. The 10th Revision (ICD-10) is currently in use. In this report, causes of death classified before 1979 under previous revisions have been reclassified to ICD-10 by the AIHW.
Interoperability - The ability of information technology systems to reliably exchange information.
Intervention (for health) - Any action taken by society or an individual which steps in (intervenes) to improve health, such as medical treatment and preventive campaigns.
Insulin - Hormone that is produced by the pancreas and regulates the body’s energy sources, most notably the sugar glucose.
IOGTR - Interim Office of Gene Technology Regulator
IOM - Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (U.S.)
IPAC - Independent Practitioners Association Council of New Zealand
IPCS - International Program for Chemical Safety
IPD - Invasive pneumococcal disease
IPPD - Influenza Pandemic Planning Committee
IPTAS - Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme
IQP - Incentives for Quality Prescribing
IR - Industrial Relations
IRSD - Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage
ISBF - Indigenous Small Business Fund
Top of pageISC - Inpatient Statistics Collection
ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network
ISDR - Indirect standardised death rate
ISERU - Integration Support and Evaluation Resource Unit
ISIS - Inpatients Separations Information System
ISIT - Indigenous Suicide Intervention Training
ISO - International Standards Organisation
ISP - Internet Service Provider
ISQua - International Society for Quality in Healthcare
IT - Information Technology
ITA - Invitation to Apply
ITC - Information Technology Committee
ITD - Integrated Technology Delivery
ITG -