From Patient Experience to Policy Action: Bringing Patient and Provider Voices Into the Decisions That Shape Healthcare

Who gets to define value in healthcare? Although policymakers, payers, and healthcare professionals all play a role, patient advocacy leaders know that value must also be defined by the experiences of patients and the clinicians who care for them. In this episode of Patient Advocacy Voices, we explore how advocacy organizations can help ensure healthcare policies are shaped by the people most affected, and why proactively engaging patients is essential to protecting access to care.Host Eric Racine is joined by co-host Kate Tighe for a conversation with Derek Flowers, Executive Director of the Value of Care Coalition. Together, they discuss how the Coalition brings together patients, providers, caregivers, and advocacy organizations to advance a more patient-centered approach to healthcare value and access. Derek shares how the Coalition combines education, data, and state-level advocacy to help policymakers better understand the real-world impact of healthcare policies, while equipping advocacy organizations with the resources and opportunities to amplify patient and provider voices throughout the policymaking process.In this episode, you'll learn about:Why patient perspectives are essential to defining healthcare value How advocacy organizations can proactively impact healthcare policy before decisions create unintended access barriersWays that coalitions can amplify patient, caregiver, and provider voices, and support advocacy organizations via education, research, and policy expertiseWhy is it increasingly important for patient advocates to engage in state-level healthcare policiesHow combining data, lived experience, and stakeholder engagement can help advance policies that improve patient outcomesLeadership lessons on collaboration, flexibility, and coalition-building that advocacy organizations can apply in any disease areaIt is critical that advocacy leaders across all therapeutic areas have a seat at the table to help define healthcare value and improve access for patients. This episode offers practical insights to build partnerships, strengthen patient engagement, and ensure healthcare policies reflect what matters most to patients.