Glossary
U.S. healthcare, translated into plain English
The words you will meet in letters, estimates, and appointments — defined the way we explain them on the phone. No term here is medical advice.
- Acceptance letter
- A hospital’s written confirmation that it agrees to evaluate or treat a patient. The key document in the whole journey — and the hospital’s decision alone.
- Attending physician
- The senior doctor responsible for a patient’s care in a U.S. hospital, leading the care team.
- Case manager
- A professional — at a hospital, insurer, or sponsor — who organizes services around a patient’s case.
- Consent (informed consent)
- Your formal agreement to a treatment after its purpose, risks, and alternatives are explained. You are entitled to an interpreter and to unlimited questions before signing.
- Cost estimate
- The hospital’s written projection of what planned care will cost. Serious, but not final — actual care can change the number.
- Deposit / prepayment
- Money a hospital may require in advance from self-paying families before scheduling treatment.
- DICOM
- The standard file format for medical imaging (X-ray, CT, MRI). The clinic that made the scan can copy studies in this format — you only need to know the word, not the technology.
- Discharge summary
- The written report a hospital issues when a patient leaves: what was done, medications, and follow-up instructions. Vital for your physicians at home.
- Emergency department (ER)
- The hospital unit for urgent, life-threatening situations. In the U.S., reached by calling 911 or going directly.
- Guarantee of payment (letter of guarantee)
- A formal commitment from an insurer, government, or sponsor to pay for specified care — usually required before a sponsored patient is scheduled.
- Inpatient / outpatient
- Inpatient care means staying overnight in the hospital; outpatient means visits without an overnight stay.
- Interpreter services
- Professional language support during medical conversations. Many U.S. hospitals provide it at no cost — ask for it whenever you want it.
- Medical summary
- A physician’s concise overview of a patient’s condition, history, and current treatment — usually the first document a reviewing hospital reads.
- Pathology report
- The laboratory analysis of tissue (for example, from a biopsy). Central to many diagnoses and often specifically requested by reviewers.
- Referral
- The formal routing of a patient’s case to a specialist or hospital for evaluation or treatment.
- Second opinion
- A formal review of an existing diagnosis or treatment plan by another specialist — often possible remotely, without travel.
- Specialist / subspecialist
- A physician focused on one field (cardiology, oncology) or an even narrower area within it (pediatric electrophysiology).
- Support letter (visa)
- A letter — from a hospital, or from a coordination service like ours — explaining the purpose of medical travel. It supports a visa application; it never guarantees or replaces the visa decision.
- Treatment plan
- The care team’s written proposal: what will be done, in what order, and with what goals.
- Visa (B-visa)
- Permission to seek entry to the U.S. for a temporary visit, including medical treatment. Decided only by U.S. consular officers; entry itself is decided by border officers.
Met a term we haven’t defined?
Send it to us — we will explain it plainly, and probably add it to this page.