Dictionary
The Dictionary provides concise definitions of health economics terms, arranged alphabetically for quick reference. Use it to understand unfamiliar terminology or confirm the meaning of a specific term.
R
- RAC AuditTermRecovery Audit Contractor, Recovery Auditor
- A review under the US Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor programme, using contractors paid by a share of recovered improper payments.
- Radiation EconomicsTermRadiotherapy Economics, Beam-Therapy Cost
- The application of health economic evaluation to radiation-based cancer treatment, comparing techniques and their combination with surgery, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy.
- Radiation TherapyTermRadiotherapy, Radiation Treatment
- A cancer treatment using high-energy radiation to damage and destroy cancer cells, delivered externally or via radioactive material placed near the tumour.
- Radiation Therapy EconomicsTermRadiotherapy Cost Analysis, RT Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to radiation treatment technologies, comparing conventional approaches against newer, more precisely targeted delivery methods.
- Radical InnovationTermBreakthrough Innovation, Disruptive Breakthrough
- An innovation introducing a fundamentally new approach or capability, a significant departure from existing solutions rather than an incremental improvement.
- Radiological ResponseTermImaging Response, Radiographic Response
- A treatment response measure based on imaging assessment of tumour size, classified into categories such as complete response, partial response, or progressive disease.
- Radiology Information SystemTermRIS, Imaging Workflow System
- A specialist software system managing radiology department workflows, from imaging order entry through result reporting, integrated with imaging archives.
- RAND Health Insurance ExperimentTermRAND HIE, Health Insurance Experiment
- A large randomised US experiment assigning families to insurance plans with varying cost-sharing levels, providing key evidence on how price affects healthcare use.
- Random Effects ModelConceptREM, Exchangeable-Effects Model, Random Effects, Random Effects Synthesis
- A random effects model represents variation in a parameter across defined units or settings by treating their unit-specific effects as draws from a shared distribution.
- Random ErrorTermStochastic Error, Irreducible Noise
- Variation in results attributable to chance alone, from the statistical variability of sampling, unlike systematic error, which reflects a consistent directional bias.
- Random Number GenerationConceptRNG, Random Draw Generation
- Random number generation supplies the uncertain draws used in probabilistic sensitivity analysis, microsimulation, discrete-event simulation, bootstrap procedures, and other stochastic analyses.
- Random Parameter ModelConceptRandom Coefficient Model, Heterogeneous-Parameter Model
- A discrete choice model that lets preference parameters vary randomly across individuals according to a specified distribution, rather than assuming identical preferences.
- Random SearchTermStochastic Search, Randomised Sampling Search
- An optimisation technique evaluating an objective function at randomly sampled points in the parameter space rather than a systematic grid.
- Randomised Controlled TrialConceptRCT, Randomised Trial
- A trial design in which participants are randomly assigned to an experimental intervention or a comparator, the gold standard for causal evidence.
- RandomizationConceptRandom Allocation, Randomisation
- The process of assigning trial participants to treatment groups by chance, producing groups comparable on both known and unknown influencing factors.
- RangeTermData Spread, Min-Max Span
- A dispersion measure calculated as the difference between the maximum and minimum values in a dataset, sensitive to extreme outliers.
- Ranking MethodTermRank Ordering Method, Ordinal Ranking
- A health state valuation technique in which respondents order health states from most to least preferred, without indicating the size of preference differences.
- Rapid AssessmentTermRapid HTA, Abbreviated Assessment
- An abbreviated assessment conducted under significant time constraints, streamlining methodological steps to produce timely evidence for an urgent decision.
- Rapid Cycle ImprovementTermRCI, Rapid-Cycle QI
- An approach emphasising testing small, incremental changes quickly through successive plan-do-study-act cycles, allowing rapid learning and adjustment.
- Rapid ReviewTermStreamlined Review, Accelerated Evidence Review
- An abbreviated systematic review conducted under time constraints, streamlining literature searching or quality assessment to produce timely evidence.
- Rapid Review HTATermRapid HTA Review, Fast-Track HTA Review
- An abbreviated systematic review conducted under time constraints, streamlining steps such as searching or quality assessment to support an urgent decision.
- Rapid UpdateTermFast Guidance Refresh, Expedited Update
- An expedited revision to previously published guidance, incorporating important new evidence more quickly than a standard review cycle allows.
- Rare Disease EconomicsTermRare Condition Economics, Economics of Rare Diseases
- The application of health economic evaluation to conditions affecting a small population share, adapting standard methods for limited natural history data and small trials.
- Rate AdjustmentTermRate Correction, Adjusted Rate Method
- A modification to an existing payment rate, up or down, implemented to reflect changes in costs or policy priorities.
- Rate BandTermRating Tier, Premium Band
- A regulatory range within which an insurer may vary premiums by a specific rating factor, such as age, limiting maximum variation.
- Rate DifferenceTermExcess Rate, Additive Rate Contrast
- The absolute difference between the incidence rates in two groups, giving a direct measure of the excess rate of disease from an exposure.
- Rate RatioTermRelative Rate, Comparative Rate
- A measure comparing the incidence rates of an outcome between two groups, accounting for differences in person-time at risk.
- Rate ReviewTermInsurer Rate Filing, Premium Filing Review
- A regulatory process examining a proposed premium increase for reasonableness before an insurer is permitted to implement it.
- Rate SettingTermReimbursement Price Determination, Payment Level Setting
- The overall process by which an insurer or regulator determines premium or payment rates for a health insurance product or contract.
- Rate-to-Probability ConversionConceptRate-Probability Transformation, Rate-Based Probability Estimation
- The mathematical transformation converting a continuous-time hazard rate into the probability of an event occurring within a discrete time interval.
- Rating MethodTermRating Scale Valuation, Category Rating Technique
- A health state valuation technique in which respondents assign a numerical score to a health state on a defined scale, such as a visual analogue scale.
- Ratio ScalingTermRatio Measurement, Constant-Sum Scaling
- A measurement approach in which respondents express one stimulus's magnitude relative to another as a numerical ratio, such as twice as severe.
- Rational ChoiceTermRational Agent Model, Utility Maximisation Assumption
- A model of decision-making in which individuals are assumed to select the option that maximises their expected utility given preferences and information.
- RationingTermCare Limitation, Scarce-Resource Allocation
- The deliberate limiting of access to healthcare due to resource scarcity, occurring in some form within every health system.
- Rationing ApproachTermCare-Limitation Strategy, Allocation Approach
- The specific method a health system uses to allocate limited resources among competing needs, explicit and transparent or more implicit.
- Rawlsian JusticeTermJustice as Fairness, Difference Principle
- A theory of distributive justice holding that inequalities are justified only if they benefit the least advantaged, derived from a hypothetical veil of ignorance.
- Rawlsian WelfareTermMaximin Welfare, Rawlsian Objective
- A conception of social welfare judging policies by their effect on the least advantaged, rather than the total or average welfare produced.
- ReadmissionConceptRehospitalisation, Return Admission
- A subsequent inpatient hospital admission after discharge from a qualifying earlier admission, counted using a specified follow-up window, eligibility rule and treatment of planned returns and transfers.
- Readmission ManagementTermRehospitalisation Reduction, Return-Admission Control
- The strategies used to identify patients at high risk of hospital readmission and implement targeted interventions to prevent avoidable returns.
- Readmission RateTermRehospitalisation Rate, 30-Day Return Ratio, Readmission Measure
- A measure of the proportion of patients readmitted to hospital within a defined period, commonly thirty days, after a prior discharge.
- Real CostTermInflation-Adjusted Cost, Constant-Price Cost
- A cost expressed in constant prices after removing the effect of inflation, allowing valid comparison across different time periods.
- Real Option ValueConceptOption Value of Waiting, Real Options Analysis
- A component of a technology's value reflecting the benefit of extending life sufficiently to allow a patient to benefit from future medical advances.
- Real-World DataConceptRWD, Routine-Practice Data
- Routinely collected information about patient health or healthcare delivery that may support research and decision making when fit for a defined purpose.
- Real-World EvidenceConceptRWE, Routine-Practice Evidence
- Clinical evidence about a medical product's use, benefits, or risks derived from analysing real-world data, unlike evidence from a controlled trial.
- Real-World Evidence HTATermRWE in HTA, Routine-Data HTA Evidence
- The use of data from routine clinical practice, such as electronic health records, within an assessment to complement trial evidence.
- Real-World ValueTermRoutine-Practice Value, Observed Value in Practice
- An assessment of a technology's actual benefit and cost-effectiveness observed under routine clinical practice, unlike trial-based efficacy value estimates.
- ReassessmentTermRe-Evaluation, Renewed Review
- A subsequent assessment of a previously reviewed technology, undertaken to incorporate new evidence or reconsider a decision given changed circumstances.
- RebateTermManufacturer Discount, Volume Concession
- A retrospective payment from a manufacturer to a payer, typically a percentage of price or based on utilisation volume, reducing true net cost.
- Rebate AgreementTermDiscount Agreement, Refund Contract
- A formal contract establishing the terms under which a rebate will be paid, including the percentage and any formulary or utilisation conditions.
- Recall BiasTermMemory Bias, Retrospective Recall Error
- A form of information bias where participants with a particular outcome recall past exposures differently, often more thoroughly, than those without it.