07 Oct Oncology and Technology: Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes Across Patient Populations

Rami Elsabeh, Chief Product Officer at DTX Med, and John Elliott, Vice President of Sales at Carevive, spoke with Oncology and Technology to stress the growing importance of using ePRO systems across different patient populations. DTX is a web-based ePRO tool that uses automated text-message outcome surveys to connect with patients throughout their care episode. Rami discussed how the DTX software allows for streamlined information exchange between patients and the care team and better management of patient follow-up care.

“ePROs historically have been predominantly used more in a research capacity,” John noted. “That was the original case for ePROs, and it was fairly removed from any type of reimbursement. What’s really evolved is when you have major payers, and you have CMS, and you start looking at value-based reimbursement models, there is strong advocacy for ePROs.”

Because ePRO systems were primarily a research tool, their capabilities and uses were limited “Nowadays, with the increase in value-based care, reimbursement being tied more and more to quality of care versus quantity of care, and the emphasis on patient outcomes and cost-reduction methods, ePRO systems need to have extended capabilities,” Rami explained.

Rami goes on to talk about some of the unique capabilities of DTX including allowing providers to (1) benchmark standardized outcome data to their peers and (2) receive automated care alerts for patients at risk of a negative outcome. He describes that Brain and Spine Surgeons of New York (BSSNY), a 26-physician spine practice currently using DTX, has seen an improvement in patient outcomes and received better reimbursement rates from their payors after implementing DTX.

ePRO systems can help physicians obtain actionable care insights from their patients which ultimately leads to improved outcomes and better patient care. As John and Rami emphasize at the end of the podcast, the use of ePRO systems is becoming more and more important given the emergence of value-based care.

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