"How would health care measurement look different if it reflected what patients say they need and want?"

In September 2016, AIR hosted a two-day, in-person meeting devoted to answering that question by exploring how to drive progress toward patient-centered measurement—health care measurement driven by patients’ expressed preferences, needs, and values. This effort, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the California Health Care Foundation, resulted in the Principles for Making Health Care Measurement Patient-Centered. The five principles offer a vision of measurement that is patient-driven, holistic, transparent, comprehensible and timely, and co-created with patients, while driving meaningful change toward better health, better care, and lower costs. When translated into action, the principles of patient-centered measurement transform measurement in ways that reflect what patients say they need and want.

Developing the principles included conducting an environmental scan and key informant interviews, holding a series of public deliberations, organizing and leading the multi-stakeholder convening, and synthesizing findings across these activities.

We encourage you to think about the ways in which you and your organization can contribute to this shared goal of making health care measurement patient-centered. With combined efforts across all stakeholder groups—patients, patient advocates, researchers, measure developers, policymakers, health care providers and organizations, insurers, and others—we can drive progress toward better care, better health, and lower costs in ways that align with patients’ values.