Hearing the Voice of the Patient in Value-Based Care Initiatives: Lessons from International Experiences

Health outcomes that matter most to patients-those that affect their quality of life-are considered an integral yet underutilized element of value-based care and payment. These metrics, which are captured by reports that come directly from patients without clinician intervention, are known as patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Public and private payers in the US are increasingly calling for the use of PRO measures (PROMs), which will require hospitals, health systems, and physician practices to invest in developing new organizational capabilities. The first steps in adopting PROMs are determining what to measure and choosing the right instruments. Beyond that, common challenges of PROMs implementation-such as engaging patients and clinicians, mitigating barriers to data collection and analysis, and identifying and following best practices-transcend geographic boundaries. This article shares lessons learned about overcoming these challenges from hospitals that have implemented PROMs in clinical care in the Netherlands and Sweden, which are among the countries that have a long history with PROMs. Selected resources for healthcare organizations beginning their PROMs journey are also included in the article, which is intended as a brief introduction to the topic.