A study published in the journal Health Affairs examines the movement to incorporate patient-reported outcomes into clinical care, as reported by Kaiser Health News.
Here are four things to know:
1. Patient-generated data has traditionally been confined to research rather than clinical settings. Clinicians have typically focused more on physical exams, medical tests and biological measures to guide patient care.
2. Policy and payment changes, such as CMS' CJR model, which reimburses providers for collecting patient-reported outcomes, are helping to drive the shift to incorporating those outcomes in the clinical setting.
3. Patricia Franklin, MD, a professor of orthopedics and physical rehabilitation at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and co-author of the Health Affairs study, and colleagues worked on a project funded by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that implemented patient-reported outcomes for knee and hip replacements in more than 150 surgeons' offices in 22 states.
4. The Orchestra Project, a patient-reported outcome program at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital,, provides better collaboration between providers and patients with chronic illness such as cystic fibrosis or inflammatory bowel disease.