Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are reports about health directly from patients. Doctors or nurses do not change or interpret these reports. PROs include things like quality of life, how well a person moves or acts, mental health, how bad symptoms are, and how happy patients are with their care. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says PROMs are special tools that give exact and personal information about a patient’s health.
In value-based care, PROMs are very important for deciding payments and checking quality. Since 2017, when the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) began bundled payment programs, insurance companies want providers to gather PROMs before and after treatment. This change shows that regular clinical results may not fully show how patients feel or how well treatments work.
PROMs data helps healthcare providers to:
For example, the Division of Urology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital collects PROMs from about 600 prostate surgery patients each year. They track physical and mental health related to conditions like prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Surgeons use this data to better understand side effects such as erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. It also helps prepare for both face-to-face and virtual visits.
Using PROMs like this helps not just with medical knowledge but also with making healthcare smoother and improving patient connections.
Even though collecting PROMs is important, it is not always easy for healthcare groups, especially when they use traditional manual ways. Some common problems are:
A 2018 study at New York University (NYU) Orthopedic Department found that only 9.5% of patients completed both the baseline and 12-week PROMs surveys using paper or phone methods. But when using electronic rehabilitation apps, completion rates rose to 53.85%. This big difference shows the need for digital and easy-to-use survey methods.
Poor PROMs gathering can lead to less payment under value-based care and make it hard for providers to make the best clinical choices. So, solving these problems is very important for medical managers and IT staff who want better data accuracy and less work for their teams.
Using digital tools has changed how PROMs are collected in U.S. healthcare. Electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) let patients send data through mobile apps, online portals, or tablets in clinics. This way of collecting data has many benefits:
For example, Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s PROVE Center uses web platforms and clinic iPads to collect PROMs on various urological diseases. This system gives useful information that improves patient care and helps surgeons track treatment progress.
Healthcare systems in the U.S. are now encouraged to choose patient-friendly digital tools that can handle a lot of data and support detailed analysis. These tools help create good outcome reports needed for new payment programs.
Collecting good data depends a lot on patients being involved. Patients like having easy, personalized ways to connect with their care teams. Digital tools such as email surveys, app notifications, and online portals make it simpler for patients to participate on time. Dr. Bus Tarbox from Columbia (MO) Orthopedic Group says that regular emails over time helped improve PROMs survey completion.
Extra features like educational content, easy-to-use designs, and short surveys help keep patients interested. Healthcare managers should pick platforms that allow flexible ways to reach users. This will increase patient response and keep survey participation high.
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems can reach out to patients automatically through calls, texts, or emails, using the communication method they prefer. This lowers the need for staff and helps avoid missed data collection. AI also manages backend data by checking entries, flags errors, and sorts responses based on clinical importance.
In busy offices and hospitals, this automation saves time for staff who would usually follow up or process surveys manually. Clinical teams then focus more on patient care instead of paperwork.
One problem is making sure PROMs tools work well with electronic medical records. Companies like Force work with integrators such as Redox to securely transfer data. This lets PROMs information move smoothly into health records without manual entry, making reports easier for payers, regulators, and researchers.
Some tech companies use AI to help with clinical trials. TrialX is one that uses AI to find and keep patients for studies. Their AI matches patients to trials, gives real-time reports, and offers websites in many languages. They also let patients send data remotely via SMS and app alerts, which supports studies done partly online to make it easier for patients.
Sharib Khan, CEO of TrialX, says generative AI helps make trial materials fast. This helps researchers start studies quicker and work with patients better. Faster trial starts also help collect patient feedback more quickly.
In outpatient clinics and hospitals, the front desk usually handles patient calls, appointment scheduling, and sending surveys. Companies like Simbo AI offer AI-driven phone systems that answer calls without staff needing to help every time.
Automated phone systems can:
Using Simbo AI reduces wait times and dropped calls, making patients happier. It helps patient engagement by making surveys easy to distribute by phone, which some patients prefer over online forms.
Healthcare IT managers and administrators can connect phone automation with digital PROMs platforms to create a united system that reduces missed messages and collects patient data better.
The FDA and other regulators want healthcare to focus more on patients. The FDA’s Patient-Focused Drug Development and the European Medicines Agency’s Adaptive Pathways programs encourage using patient feedback and PROMs data in trials and care.
Privacy and security are very important when using PROMs tools. Providers must follow HIPAA and other laws to keep patient data safe and maintain trust.
Healthcare groups should also think about:
These steps help make the most of digital tools and meet payment rules tied to value-based care.
Patient-focused trials and regular care are using more digital and AI tools to improve data collection. New devices like wearables and mobile health apps can track physical activity all day. This adds more information to PROMs data with facts from sensors.
Machine learning is getting better at guessing which patients will participate, so healthcare teams can focus efforts and stop dropouts. Experts expect more use of decentralized trials and virtual visits. This will make PROMs even more important for remote care.
Medical managers and IT staff in the U.S. should watch these changes and think about adding new tech as it comes to keep healthcare up to date and following rules.
Using electronic platforms for PROMs, AI-powered workflow automation, and AI-based front-office tools like Simbo AI’s phone automation, healthcare groups can improve patient participation and data quality. These changes help clinical results, meet payment rules, and prepare clinics for future patient-centered care.
PROMs are tools used to gather information directly from patients regarding their health status, quality of life, and satisfaction with care, which are essential for understanding patient experiences and outcomes.
Collecting PROMs is crucial for value-based care, as they help assess quality and effectiveness of healthcare services, impact reimbursement, and guide clinical decision-making.
Providers can utilize digital platforms to automate data collection, which streamlines the process, improves patient engagement, and enhances data accuracy and accessibility.
Important data points include demographics, quality of life, physical function, patient engagement, satisfaction, and discrete clinical metrics like pain levels and activity.
Automation simplifies the data collection and distribution process, allowing healthcare teams to focus more on patient care while ensuring high data accuracy and timely reporting.
Interoperability allows seamless sharing of PROMs data between various systems (like EMRs), facilitating integrated care, improving patient management, and meeting reporting requirements.
Active patient engagement through digital tools significantly improves PROMs collection rates by making the process user-friendly and convenient, thus encouraging participation.
Selecting a patient-centric PROM collection tool that fits organizational needs enhances data quality, supports scalability, and aligns with value-based care requirements.
Common methods include digital surveys through patient portals, emails, and integrating mobile applications that streamline the process and enhance patient feedback.
PROMs data can inform clinical trials and research initiatives on patient recovery, helping establish best practices and improve overall healthcare delivery.
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