Balance Billing - The practice of billing a patient for the fee amount remaining after insurer payment and co-payment have been made. Under Medicare, the excess amount cannot be more than 15 percent above the approved charge.

Base Capitation - Specified amount per person per month to cover healthcare cost, usually excluding pharmacy and administrative costs as well as optional coverages such as mental health/substance abuse services.

Base Year Costs - In Medicare, the amount a hospital actually spent to render care in a previous time period. Depending on the hospital's Medicare cost reporting period, the base year was the fiscal year ending on or after September 30, 1982 and before September 30, 1983 for hospitals in operation at that time. Recent legislation has made dramatic changes in cost reporting opportunities for healthcare providers, limiting these reimbursements.

Bed Days - Number of inpatient hospital days per 1,000 health plan members for a specified period, usually annual.

Behavioral Health, Behavioral Healthcare - An umbrella term that includes mental health, psychiatric, marriage and family counseling, addictions treatment and substance abuse. Services are provided by a myriad of providers, including social workers, counselors, psychiatrist, psychologists, neurologists and even family practice physicians. Many states have "parity" laws that attempt to require that behavioral health insurance coverage be provided "on par" to physical health coverage.

Behavioral Offset - This is the change in the number and type of services that is projected to occur in response to a change in fees. A 50 percent behavioral offset suggests that 50 percent of the savings from fee reductions will be offset by increased volume and intensity of services.

Benchmark - A goal to be attained. These goals are chosen by comparisons with other providers, by consulting statistical reports available or are drawn from the best practices within the organization or industry. Benchmarks are used in quality improvement programs to encourage improvement of care, efficiencies or services. Benchmarks are also used for length of stay comparisons, costs, utilization review, risk management and financial analysis. The benchmarking process identifies the best performance in the industry (health care or non-health care) for a particular process or outcome, determines how that performance is achieved, and applies the lessons learned to improve performance.

Beneficiary , also called Eligible, Enrollee, or Member - The name for a person who has health care insurance through Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance or health benefits plan. Individual who is either using or eligible to use insurance benefits, including health insurance benefits, under an insurance contract. Any person eligible as either a subscriber or a dependent for a managed care service in accordance with a contract. An individual who receives benefits from or is covered by an insurance policy or other health care financing program.

Beneficiary Liability - The amount beneficiaries must pay providers for Medicare-covered services. Liabilities include copayments, deductibles, and balance billing amounts. CMS has very strict rules about health providers billing patients for their liabilities. Cost based facilities are not allowed to charge non-payment by beneficiaries to bad debt unless a clear history of collection activity is recorded.

Beneficence - An ethical principle which, when applied to managed care, states that each member should be treated in a manner that respects his or her own goals and values and that managed care organizations and their providers have a duty to promote the good of the members as a group.

Benefit Design - The process an MCO uses to determine which benefits or the level of benefits that will be offered to its members, the degree to which members will be expected to share the costs of such benefits, and how a member can access medical care through the health plan.

Benefit Limitations - Any provision, other than an exclusion, which restricts coverage in the Evidence of Coverage, regardless of medical necessity. Limitations are often expressed in terms of dollar amounts, length of stay, diagnosis or treatment descriptions.

Benefit Package - Aggregate services specifically defined by an insurance policy or HMO that can be provided to patients. The services a payer offers to a group or individual. The package will specify include cost, limitation on the amounts of services, and annual or lifetime spending limits.

Benefit Payment Schedule - List of amounts an insurance plan will pay for covered health care services.

Benefit Period - Normally refers to the 揵enefit period?that begins the day the patient goes to a hospital or skilled nursing facility (SNF). According to Medicare, the benefit period ends when the patient haven抰 received any hospital care (or skilled care in a SNF) for 60 days in a row and if the patient goes into a hospital or a SNF after one benefit period has ended, a new benefit period begins. Patients are normally expected to pay the inpatient hospital deductible for each benefit period.