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AcademyHealth
Health Services Research (HSR) Methods
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Risk-bearing Entity

An organization that assumes financial responsibility for the provision of a defined set of benefits by accepting prepayment for some or all of the cost of care. A risk-bearing entity may be an insurer, a health plan or self-funded employer, or a Physician Hospital Organization (PHO) or other form of a Patient Safety Net (PSN).

Further Reading
AcademyHealth. Glossary of Terms Commonly Used in Healthcare, 2004 ed. Available at http://www.hsrmethods.org/publications/glossary.pdf.