The Value of Health: Improving Outcomes Final Report

Value has become a central concept in the analysis and reform of health systems. The fiscal sustainability of health systems has been called into question by the combination of: i) upward pressure on health budgets resulting from ageing populations, technological change, rising levels of multi-morbidity, and increasing public expectations; and ii) sharp constraints on public expenditure in many European countries. As a consequence, there is an increasing focus on the need to ensure better value for money from health spending. The report is based on discussions and findings of the Value of Health initiative, providing a multi-stakeholder perspective on the concept of value in Health Systems and exploring the role of health outcomes in improving value. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are recognized as an important tool to capture the patient perspective.