Dictionary

R

Recommendation StrengthTermStrength of Recommendation, Grade of Recommendation

Within GRADE, a judgement of how confident guideline developers are that a recommendation's benefits outweigh its harms, expressed as strong or weak.

Recommended Phase 2 DoseTermRP2D, Phase II Dose

The dose identified during phase I dose-finding studies as offering the best balance of efficacy and tolerability, carried forward into phase II trials.

Recovery ModelTermRecovery Approach, Recovery-Oriented Care

A mental health treatment approach emphasising a person's own goals, strengths, and capacity for a meaningful life, rather than symptom elimination alone.

RecruitmentTermParticipant Enrolment, Study Enrolment

The overall process of identifying, approaching, and enrolling eligible participants into a clinical trial or research study.

RecurrenceTermDisease Return, Cancer Relapse

The return of cancer after a period with no detectable disease, occurring either at the original site or elsewhere in the body.

RedistributionTermIncome Transfer, Wealth Reallocation

The transfer of resources across individuals or groups in a society, typically from higher to lower income populations, through mechanisms such as progressive taxation.

Reduced ConsumptionTermConsumption Reduction, Demand Reduction

A coping strategy where a household cuts spending on other essentials, such as food, to cover healthcare costs, indicating financial strain.

Reference CaseConceptStandard Analytic Case, Base-Case Methods Standard, Economic Evidence Requirements, Economic Submission Requirements, Cost-Evidence Standards

A reference case is the set of methods, such as perspective, outcome measure and discounting, that HTA bodies like NICE expect economic evaluations to use.

Reference Case RequirementConceptReference Case Element, Reference-Case Rule

Reference case requirement is one rule in an HTA reference case, such as NICE's 3.5% discount rate, fixing a method like perspective or outcome measure.

Reference CostTermBenchmark Unit Cost, Standard Costing Value

A standardised unit cost for a specific healthcare service, published by a health system to promote consistency in costing across providers.

Reference CountryTermComparator Country, Benchmark Country

A specific country whose drug prices are used as a comparison point when another country sets or negotiates its own prices.

Reference Country SelectionTermComparator Country Choice, Basket Country Selection

The process of choosing which countries are included in the reference basket used to set or negotiate a drug's price.

Reference PricingTermBenchmark Pricing, Comparator-Based Pricing

A pricing policy setting a benchmark price based on prices of similar products or the same product elsewhere, constraining pharmaceutical spending.

Reference ProductTermOriginator Product, Reference Biologic

The originally approved biologic against which a biosimilar is compared during development, required to show high similarity with no meaningful clinical differences.

Reference StandardConceptGold Standard

The reference standard is the best available method for deciding whether a target condition is present, against which a test's accuracy is judged.

Reference-Based PricingTermRBP, Reference Price Cap

A general term for policies anchoring a drug's price or reimbursement to a defined reference point, such as a similar drug or another country.

ReferralTermCare Handoff, Specialist Direction

The process by which a provider directs a patient to another provider or service, typically because needs exceed their own scope.

Referral SystemTermReferral Network, Onward-Care System

The organised process and infrastructure through which patients are directed from one level of provider to another, based on clinical need.

Regenerative MedicineTermRegen Med, Tissue-Repair Therapy

A field of medicine focused on repairing, replacing, or regenerating damaged cells, tissues, or organs, including stem cell therapy and tissue engineering.

Regional HTA AgencyTermSub-National HTA Body, Regional Assessment Agency

An assessment organisation operating at a subnational, regional level, informing coverage decisions specific to that region rather than a whole country.

Regional PerspectiveTermRegional Viewpoint, Devolved Perspective, Local Perspective, Sub-National Perspective, Local Health Authority Perspective

An analytic viewpoint considering costs and outcomes relevant to a defined geographic region within a country, rather than the health system as a whole.

RegistryTermData Register, Clinical Register

An organised system collecting standardised information over time about individuals with a particular condition, procedure, or exposure, across multiple sites.

Registry DataTermRegister-Derived Data, Registry-Sourced Records

Standardised, longitudinally collected information about individuals with a specific condition or exposure, often spanning multiple institutions or a whole country.

Registry RequirementTermMandatory Registry Enrolment, Post-Approval Data Duty

A condition attached to a conditional reimbursement decision, mandating patients be enrolled in a data collection registry to generate further evidence.

Registry TrialTermRegistry-Based Trial, Register-Embedded Study

A trial embedded within an existing disease or procedure registry to identify participants, randomise treatment, and collect outcome data at lower cost.

Regression AdjustmentTermRegression-Based Adjustment, Model-Based Adjustment

A technique using a regression model to control for measured confounding variables when estimating an exposure-outcome association.

Regression AnalysisConceptRegression Modelling, Predictor-Outcome Modelling, Regression Methods

Regression analysis estimates how an outcome varies with one or more explanatory variables through a specified statistical model.

Regression DiscontinuityTermRDD, Discontinuity Design

A quasi-experimental design estimating a causal effect by comparing outcomes just above and below a threshold used to assign treatment.

Regression TestingTermRe-Test Validation, Change-Verification Testing

A verification technique re-running a previously validated set of test cases after a model has been modified, to confirm no new errors appeared.

Regression to MeanTermRTM, Mean Reversion Artefact

The phenomenon whereby an extreme initial measurement tends to be followed by one closer to average, simply from natural random variation.

Regressive FinancingTermRegressive Health Funding, Income-Falling Contribution

A financing arrangement where contributions fall as a proportion of income for wealthier individuals, so lower earners contribute a larger share.

Regressive TaxationTermRegressive Tax

A tax structure in which the rate falls as the taxable amount rises, so lower earners pay a larger share of income than higher earners.

Regulated PricingTermControlled Pricing, Administered Pricing Environment

A pricing environment where government directly sets, negotiates, or constrains manufacturer prices, unlike a free pricing environment without direct control.

RegulationTermRule-Making, Statutory Oversight

Government-imposed rules governing the conduct of private actors, intended to correct market failures such as information asymmetry, externalities, or market power.

Regulatory AgencyTermRegulator, Regulatory Authority

A governmental body granted authority to create, implement, and enforce rules and standards within a specific domain, such as pharmaceutical safety.

Regulatory CaptureTermAgency Capture, Captured Regulator

A phenomenon where a regulatory agency created to serve the public interest comes to be dominated by the interests of the industry it regulates.

Regulatory CostTermCompliance Cost, Cost of Regulation

The expense of meeting regulatory authority requirements when developing and gaining approval for a new health technology, including documentation and submissions.

Regulatory StandardsTermRegulatory Requirements, Mandated Standards, Legal Standards, Legal Requirements, Statutory Standards

The specific rules and requirements established by a governmental regulatory agency that organisations within its jurisdiction must satisfy.

Regulatory StrategyTermRegulatory Plan, Approval Strategy

A manufacturer's overall plan for navigating regulatory approval, including which pathways and designations to pursue and how to sequence global submissions.

RehabilitationTermRehab, Restorative Care

Healthcare services aimed at restoring, maintaining, or improving physical, cognitive, or functional abilities following illness, injury, or surgery.

Rehabilitation EconomicsTermRehab Economics, Restorative Care Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to services restoring function after illness, injury, or surgery, covering physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

Rehabilitation HospitalTermRehab Facility, Inpatient Rehab Centre

A specialist facility dedicated to intensive, multidisciplinary rehabilitative care for patients recovering from a significant illness, injury, or surgery.

ReimbursementTermCoverage Payment, Third-Party Payment

The payment made by a health insurer or payer to a healthcare provider for services rendered to a covered patient.

Reimbursement DecisionTermCoverage Verdict, Reimbursement Verdict

The formal determination by a payer regarding whether, and under what conditions, a technology will be financially covered for a population.

Reimbursement DossierTermReimbursement File, Payer Dossier

A comprehensive document submitted by a manufacturer presenting clinical and economic evidence supporting a treatment's requested reimbursement status.

Reimbursement RestrictionTermFunding Restriction, Restricted Coverage, Limitation, Funding Caveat, Recommendation Restriction

A coverage limitation, such as restricting a treatment to a patient subgroup or requiring prior therapy failure, to manage cost or ensure appropriate use.

Reimbursement SubmissionTermFunding Application, Coverage Dossier

A formal application requesting coverage or reimbursement for a new technology, supported by clinical and economic evidence.

ReinsuranceTermStop-Loss Cover, Insurer-of-Insurers

An arrangement in which an insurer transfers a portion of its financial risk to another insurer in exchange for a premium.

Reinsurance DesignTermReinsurance Structure, Cession Arrangement

The specific structure of a reinsurance arrangement, including the attachment point and the proportion of costs above it the reinsurer covers.

ReinvestmentTermReallocation of Savings, Savings Redirection

The use of funds generated by an investment, such as returns or savings, to fund further investment rather than distributing them elsewhere.