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Measurably Better Outcomes.

 

The Medical Outcomes Trust is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving health and health care by promoting the science of outcomes measurement.

 

The Trust was incorporated in Massachusetts in 1992 as a public service organization. It began its programs in June 1994 with a grant from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. In 2000, the Trust became affiliated with Health Assessment Lab (HAL), a non-profit research organization based in Boston.  HAL evolved from the health status assessment group at the Health Institute of the New England Medical Center.

Want to learn more about how patient reported outcome measures are utilized in existing health care systems? Watch video interviews with specialists from multiple fields as they discuss how they use PROMs in their clinical practices.

Visit the Videos page for a complete list of interviews. 

Latest News

 

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Call for 2025 Applications Coming soon

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If you'd like to join our list serve for
notifications, please email: 
healthassessmentlab@gmail.com
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The Health Assessment Laboratory (HAL) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024-25 cycle awards (see awards page for full listings of past winners)
  1. Alvin R. Tarlov & John E. Ware Jr. Doctoral Dissertation and Post-Doctoral Awards in Patient-Reported OutcomesJennifer Scodes, MS
  2. PROMs Achievement Prize:  Galina Velikova, MD, PhD

 

Surveys

 

Medical Outcomes Trust (MOT), HAL and QualityMetric Incorporated, co-copyright holders of all SF-36®, SF-12®, and SF-8™ Health Surveys, have merged their licensing and user registration programs, with the objectives of simplifying licensing and user registration and better meeting the needs of the many new academic, commercial, and other licensees.

Research Projects

 

Research at Health Assessment Lab has historically focused on the development and use of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures, particularly the SF-36® Health Survey and other tools developed by Dr. Ware and his colleagues.  Brief descriptions of some of the research projects conducted at HAL are provided below.

What are Patient Reported Outcome Measures?

Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) enable both the patient and the clinician to communicate and track health goals and outcomes. Using PROMs by surveying, interviewing and tracking health outcomes overtime not only allows care providers to gain a better understanding of a specific health condition it also allows patients to focus on their specific needs and communicate these specifics to their care provider before they make an office visit.

 

Utilizing PROMs allows health systems to cultivate patient-centered care, by gathering data on each patient's needs and experiences between visits with their clinician. This information provides a better picture of how the patient is doing between visits and when the patient is outside the clinician's office. Using PROMs helps narrow the focus of the clinician more quickly to concentrate on health concerns that matter to the patient, making visits more efficient and effective and to address the patient’s special and changing health needs.


Using PROMs also allows patients to be more mindful of what they want and need from their care providers. Responding to questions designed to help facilitate better care results in patients reflecting on their experience in a thoughtful and concise manner. This allows patients to be ready and able to address and communicate their key concerns having already been prompted to think about them in advance and to give voice to their health goals.

 

Technology in PROMs - Now's the time

 

With the proliferation of mobile computing technologies and cloud computing, integrating PROMs into existing health systems can be affordable and efficient. It is now possible to survey a patient at home or while they wait to see their doctor, and then have the survey incorporated into a patient focused report that the doctor can review with the patient to support shared decision making and the development of a treatment plan that matches the patient’s particular health needs. This also allows crucial information to be shared presented and stored before the patient sits down to speak with their doctor.

 

Time with Doctors and Self Care


The time a patient spends with their primary physician versus the time they spend each day dealing with and managing a chronic illness outside a doctor's office will never be equal. In terms of time spent, self-care and self-management is the dominant mode for delivering health care. This is another reason we need to incorporate PROMs to better measure the quality of health outcomes that patients with chronic illness experience.

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What Are PROMs
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