Today EFPIA (the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) and ICHOM (the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement) signed a Strategic Alliance Partnership to work together to catalyze the measurement of standardized health outcomes as a step towards improving patient care through more sustainable, Value-Based Health Systems

European healthcare systems today face both unprecedented opportunities and challenges. Opportunities come in the form of medical science breaking new ground, delivering new advanced treatments for unmet health needs, and health informatics bringing new possibilities to harness health data for research, healthcare delivery optimization and better patient care. Challenges come in the form of ageing populations and increased incidence of chronic disease and multi-morbidities, which put healthcare systems under financial strain. Advancing the measurement of standardized health outcomes represents a critical shift towards a more efficient and effective healthcare system for patients, payers, hospitals, and providers.

As recognized by the European Commission in the recent “State of Health in the EU” report, European health systems already have relatively good data on inputs, such as the number of CT scanners, and some outputs, such as the number of procedures performed. However, they still know little regarding patient outcomes, including how the patient’s quality of life is affected by care received. Improved “patient-centered data” will enable better care for each individual patient while reducing waste in the systems and enhancing service delivery and value for money. The Strategic Alliance Partnership between ICHOM and EFPIA is a recognition of the alignment surrounding this strategic agenda, and an acknowledgement that the solutions for the challenges facing European healthcare systems must be achieved by fostering collaboration between all stakeholders.

The Strategic Alliance Partnership between ICHOM and EFPIA is a multi-year commitment. During 2018, ICHOM and EFPIA will aim to launch conversations all over Europe about how to implement more outcomes-focused and value-based healthcare models, and how this approach can benefit patients, clinicians, providers, industry and payers. Going forward, ICHOM and EFPIA will also explore how standardized health outcome measures can be implemented in partnership with healthcare institutions to facilitate long-term healthcare quality improvement. We are excited to embark on this journey together, and we look forward to collaborations with additional partners and stakeholders as we continue to forge a path towards enhancing patient care.

Notes to Editors

The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) is a non‐profit organization dedicated to unlocking the potential of Value-Based Health Care by defining global Standard Sets of outcome measures that really matter to patients for the most relevant medical conditions and by driving adoption and reporting of these measures worldwide.

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) represents around 1,900 pharmaceutical companies in Europe, and is dedicated to improving health outcomes for patients and making European healthcare systems more sustainable through outcomes-based models based on measuring, comparing and incentivizing health outcomes.