Define the population before paying for healthcare AI outcomes
Healthcare leaders should agree on the population and measurement rules before tying digital health payments to outcomes. A result among patients who complete a program is not the same as the result across everyone the program was intended to serve. PHTI’s purchasing survey reports that 68% of employers and 55% of health plans surveyed use performance-based contracts. It also finds that 47% of purchasers say fewer than a quarter of their eligible members enroll in digital health solutions. It is important to make the population definition part of the evidence discussion from the beginning. For a payer, that definition affects whether an intervention can improve results across its membership. For a provider, it helps clarify which patients receive actionable support and which remain outside the workflow. Start with the population A buyer should be able to follow patients from eligibility through enrollment, continued participation, and outcome measurement. At each stage, the report sho...