Key Healthcare Trends That Will Define the Future of Patient Care

In a recent interview with Pharmaceutical Executive, Rob Abbott, CEO of ISPOR, discussed how health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) is transforming the way health systems and governments around the world address rising drug prices. Abbott highlighted the growing importance of real-world evidence, patient-centered approaches, and artificial intelligence in shaping value-based healthcare decisions. He also emphasized the critical role of cross-sector collaboration among regulators, payers, academia, and industry in advancing evidence-based policies and improving patient access to innovative therapies.

Pharmaceutical Executive: ISPOR recently released its 2024–2025 HEOR Trends Report. What do you see as the most urgent trend shaping global health today, and why?

Rob Abbott: The Top 10 Trends Report is something ISPOR updates regularly. Our latest edition came out in January 2024, and we’ll release the next one in January 2026. This kind of horizon scanning is critical—it helps us understand the evolving priorities in health economics and outcomes research, and what’s driving decisions globally.

One trend that consistently tops our list is real-world evidence. Clinical trials are essential, but they only go so far. Real-world evidence lets us see how a therapy performs once it’s on the market—whether it meets expectations, what side effects emerge, whether it’s truly cost-effective, and how patients actually experience it. That perspective is invaluable.

Another major trend is artificial intelligence, and more broadly, digital health. The pace of AI adoption is remarkable, from synthesizing literature to personalizing treatment protocols. It’s transforming the field.

Lastly, I have to mention patient centricity. It may seem obvious, but in focusing on technology, cost, and other components of healthcare, we can sometimes lose sight of the fact that every one of us is, or will be, a patient. The patient experience—good or bad—must remain at the heart of everything we do.

Full Interview Summary: Health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) is increasingly shaping how health systems and governments address rising drug prices. HEOR integrates clinical trial results, real-world data, patient experiences, and economic analysis to evaluate medical interventions. By assessing a treatment’s cost-effectiveness and real-world value, HEOR informs value-based pricing and decision-making, going beyond traditional clinical trial data to determine how drugs perform in everyday patient care.

A key trend highlighted in ISPOR’s 2024–2025 Top 10 Trends report is the growing importance of real-world evidence. Unlike clinical trials, real-world evidence captures patient outcomes, side effects, and overall cost-effectiveness after drugs enter the market, making it critical for both policy and clinical decisions. Another transformative trend is the accelerated adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health tools. AI is being used to synthesize literature, analyze complex data sets, and tailor treatment protocols efficiently. However, experts caution that while AI offers significant potential, human oversight remains essential to ensure patient-centered care.

From a global perspective, US healthcare excels in certain areas, such as cancer screening, vaccination rates, and advanced medical technology, but faces challenges including high per-capita costs, lack of universal coverage, and suboptimal outcomes in chronic disease and life expectancy. These issues highlight the universal challenge of managing rising costs amid increasing complexity.

Collaboration across government, academia, and industry is critical to advance evidence-based health policy and patient access. Organizations like ISPOR, with its global membership spanning regulators, payers, patient organizations, and academics, are fostering these partnerships. Initiatives, such as pilot projects aligning regulators and health technology assessment agencies in Europe, illustrate how coordinated efforts can improve patient access to innovative therapies while navigating the complexities of cost, efficacy, and healthcare delivery.

Overall, HEOR, real-world evidence, AI, and multi-stakeholder collaboration are central to shaping efficient, patient-centered, and cost-conscious healthcare systems worldwide.