Preferred Provider Organization
Definition
PPO. A health care organization composed of physicians, hospitals, or other providers which provides health care services at a reduced fee. A PPO is similar to an HMO, but care is paid for as it is received instead of in advance in the form of a scheduled fee. PPOs may also offer more flexibility by allowing for visits to out-of-network professionals at a greater expense to the policy holder. Visits within the network require only the payment of a small fee. There is often a deductible for out-of-network expenses and a higher co-payment. A policy holder will have a primary physician within the network who will handle referrals to specialists that will be covered by the PPO. After any visit, the policy holder must submit a claim, and will be reimbursed for the visit minus his/her co-payment.
 Cite this definition
email to a friend
Related terms:
Health Maintenance Organization
Related Research Articles from the InvestorGuide.com University
Life Insurance
Includes all you need to know about provisions and types of life insurance policies. Learn about incontestable provisions, suicide provisions, reinstatement clauses, excluded risks, and settlement options. Once you speak the lingo, read up on the different types of life insurance: Term life, cash value, whole life, single premium life, universal life, variable life, and variable universal life.
Health Insurance
Learn about the various kinds of health insurance available, including HMOs, PPOs, FFS plans, and Medicare. Find information about the advantages and disadvantages of each type of plan to help you decide what plan is best for you.
Other Types of Insurance
Think you have all the bases covered? Learn about other types of insurance, including renter's, liability, travel, car rental, mortgage protection, flight, extended warranty, and kidnap and ransom.
|
|
