Plain-language glossary
Terms without the fog
Short definitions for words used across the evidence, treatment, insurance, and device guides. A definition explains the term; it does not tell you what choice to make.
Last updated
Glossary
- adjunct
- an add-on treatment
- Applicability
- How closely the people, setting, condition, and body sites in the evidence match the question a reader is asking.
- autoimmune
- the immune system attacking the body's own cells
- boxed warning
- the FDA's strongest safety alert on a drug label
- calcineurin inhibitor
- a non-steroid cream that calms the local immune response, such as Protopic (tacrolimus) or Elidel (pimecrolimus)
- Confidence grade
- A coarse label for how firmly the available sources support one exact claim. It is not a score for a whole treatment.
- CPB
- Aetna's written medical policy document
- D-SNP
- a Medicare Advantage plan for people with both Medicare and Medicaid
- depigmentation
- skin losing its color
- DME
- durable medical equipment; the insurance category home devices fall under
- DMEPOS
- Medicare's program for equipment like home light units
- EPO
- a plan that usually covers only in-network care
- ERISA
- the federal law covering most employer health plans
- Evidence role
- The narrow job a source can do for one claim, such as clinical, coverage, specification, or workflow evidence.
- excimer
- a targeted light device treating small areas
- FEPBlue
- the Blue Cross plan for federal employees
- form factor
- the device's physical shape and size (handheld, panel, booth)
- FSA
- a tax-advantaged account for medical expenses
- HDHP
- a plan with a high deductible
- HMO
- a plan that usually limits care to its network
- HSA
- a tax-advantaged account for medical expenses
- HSA/FSA
- tax-advantaged accounts for medical expenses
- Independence
- Whether a relevant relationship could affect how a source is used for one claim. Unknown stays unknown.
- indication
- the specific use the FDA approved a drug for
- irradiance
- how strong the lamp's light output is
- JAK inhibitor
- a drug class that calms part of the immune system
- Koebner phenomenon
- new patches appearing where skin is injured
- malignancy
- cancer
- monotherapy
- one treatment used alone
- NCD
- a national Medicare coverage rule
- Not reported
- The source did not provide the field SteadySkin looked for. It does not mean none of the participants had that characteristic.
- off-label
- prescribed for a use the FDA hasn't specifically approved; legal and common
- phototype
- a scale for how skin responds to sun
- Population
- The people included in the evidence, described by the details the source actually reports.
- POS
- a plan that may require referrals for specialist care
- PPO
- a plan with more choice and higher out-of-network costs
- refractory
- not responding to treatment
- repigmentation
- color returning to white patches
- self-funded plan
- your employer, not the insurer on your card, pays the claims
- Source tier
- A label for the kind of source and the job it can usually do. A tier is not a guarantee that a source supports every claim.
- systemic
- affecting the whole body rather than only one skin area
- titration
- adjusting treatment step by step
When a definition is not enough
Ask your care team what a term means in your written plan and which source or exact-device manual they want you to use. A glossary can clarify language; it cannot interpret an instruction for you.