RAD

Resource Access Decision. The CORBAmed standard framework for application-level security policies.

RCT

Randomized Controlled Trial.

Reasonable and Customary Fees

Average fees charged by providers.
See also Usual, Customary and Reasonable..

Receiving

This function includes the physical receipt and inspection of inventory items.

Reference Laboratories

Reference Laboratories. For example,
LabCorp
Quest Diagnostics
SmithKline Beecham
UniLab

Registered Records Administrator

See RRA.

Requisition

A request from a department for goods or services to be delivered to them. For pharmaceuticals, the request normally goes to the internal pharmacy. For materiel, the request could be for general stores goods or goods ordered directly from a vendor.

RFQ

Request for Quotation. This is a package of information sent to drug suppliers; it contains a list of generic items. Each supplier must then respond with a price for each line item included in the RFQ.

Risk

In healthcare, “risk” has (at least) two meanings,
Usually refers to the amount of financial risk assumed by an organization or individual when providing healthcare. This used to be solely the responsibility of insurance carriers. With the advent of managed care in the US, providers are sharing more of that risk in the form of a PMPM rate negotiated with insurance carriers or large (self-insured) employers. (See “At Risk.”)
For an individual, risk represents such probabilities as the likelihood of surgical complications, medication side effects, exposure to infection or other factors.

Risk HMO

See Medicare Risk Plans.

RN

Register Nurse. See also other Nursing Titles.

ROS

Review of Systems. A series of questions grouped by organ system. According to theUniversity of Florida’s Medical History Taking Study GuideExternal Page Policy 
(click to see policy and instructions), these includes:
1. General/Constitutional  
2. Skin/Breast  
3. Eyes/Ears/Nose/Mouth/Throat  
4. Cardiovascular  
5. Respiratory  
6. Gastrointestinal  
7. Genitourinary  
8. Musculoskeletal  
9. Neurologic/Psychiatric  
10. Allergic/Immunologic/Lymphatic/Endocrine  
See also HPI, PFSH, PMH, PSH.

Route of Administration

Identifies the method by which a drug is administered. There are 23 coded routes of administration, divided into three categories.
Code Description
Route Type
 
1 Oral Systemic  
2 Injection Systemic  
3 Rectal Systemic  
4 Mucous Membranes Systemic  
5 Topical Non-Systemic  
6 Opthalmic Non-Systemic  
7 Nasal Systemic  
8 Otic Non-Systemic  
9 Intradermal Other  
A Intravenous Systemic  
B Buccal Systemic  
C Intramuscular Systemic  
D Dental Non-Systemic  
F Perfusion Non-Systemic  
H Inhalation Systemic  
L Translingual Systemic  
M Miscellaneous Other  
P Intraperitoneal Non-Systemic  
R Irrigation Non-Systemic  
S Sublingual Systemic  
T Transdermal Systemic  
U Urethral Non-Systemic  
V Vaginal Systemic  

RRA

Registered Records Administrator. These are the people entrusted with coding ICD-9s, CPTs, and calculating DRGs and APR-DRGs from a patient's chart.

RUG

Resource Utilization Units. The unit of payment for the prospective payment system that HCFA uses to pay nursing homes. Under this regimen, HCFA places nursing home patients into RUGs based on how well patients perform daily activities and the number and types of services they use. The more complex the case, the higher the reimbursement.

RVU

A procedure’s Relative Value Unit (RVUExternal Page Policy 
(click to see policy and instructions)), set by HCFA and geographically adjusted to location. The Medicare Fee is the product of the procedure RVU and the Medicare Conversion Factor (a US national uniform dollar amount per RVU).

Rx

Shorthand for “prescription” (also called a script). See also, Dx, Fx, Hx, Mx, Px, Sx, Tx.