Authentic Patient Engagement
Patient engagement is a critical component of value-based healthcare. It reflects the important shift towards patient-care, prioritizing active involvement of patients throughout their healthcare journey. By putting patients at the center and collaborating with them to inform decision-making, we can improve health quality, health outcomes, and ultimately, lower costs.
The Center defines patient engagement as:
“The active, meaningful, and collaborative interaction between patients and researchers across all stages of the research process, where research decisions are guided by patients’ contributions as partners, recognizing their unique experiences, values, and expertise.”
Learn More
For more information about this program, please contact the Center’s Director of Patient Engagement, Ushma Patel, at ushma.patel@thevalueinitiative.org.
Patient Engagement at the Center
Since the Center’s founding, authentic patient-centricity has guided our mission and work through:
- Meaningful Partnership and Co-Leadership in Research and Practice: Our research initiatives begin with patients and caregivers as co-leaders—starting early in research formation and continuing through every stage: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, dissemination, and assessment. This ensures that research priorities, design, and outcomes reflect lived experiences and patient values.
- Strategic Organizational Guidance: We embed the patient voice in all projects by engaging our Patient Advisory Council and forming project-specific, multi-stakeholder Steering Committees that include patient and caregiver partners. This structure ensures decisions are informed by diverse perspectives and grounded in real-world needs.
- Grounding in Lived Experience: Patients and caregivers shape our events by sharing their stories, co-presenting, and collaborating on program design. Their contributions bring authenticity and relevance to every discussion.
We hope to learn from and collaborate with people with lived experience to ensure that our work stays true to our core principle of patient-centricity and sets a benchmark for the health technology assesment field on the authentic practice of patient engagement.
Blueprint for Patient-Centered Value Research
The Center developed this Blueprint for use across the healthcare ecosystem and provides actionable strategies for a wide range of stakeholders:
- For Patients and Patient Advocates: Tools and language to advocate for meaningful involvement in setting research agendas and defining value
- For Researchers and Academics: Frameworks to design inclusive studies that better capture real-world experiences and outcomes
- For Policymakers and Regulatory Bodies: Guidance to support equitable decision-making grounded in community-informed evidence
- For Payers and Health System Leaders: Recommendations for integrating patient-defined value into coverage, access, and investment decisions
The Blueprint sets a new standard for health technology assessment and value frameworks by offering a shared foundation for inclusive, multi-stakeholder collaboration. It is intended to drive long-term change in how evidence is generated, evaluated, and applied in healthcare policy and practice.
If you are interested in learning more about the Blueprint or how your organization can partner with us, please contact Erica Malik at erica.malik@valueresearch.org.