Oct 28, 2026
Author: Ross Maclean, MD, Executive Vice President, Partner, HEOR
Introduction
Health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) has long served as a cornerstone for evidence‑based
decision-making, guiding policy, reimbursement, and clinical practice through rigorous evaluations of patient outcomes, healthcare costs, comparative effectiveness, disease burden, cost‑effectiveness, and budget impact.
Traditionally, HEOR has relied on structured methodologies — including systematic literature reviews, network meta‑analyses, economic modeling, and observational research — to assess the value of medical interventions. Today, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and large language models (LLMs) are reshaping the HEOR workflow across literature review, data extraction, simulation, and reporting.
The potential for AI in HEOR is clear. Less clear is what that potential looks like in terms of responsible adoption of AI and the conditions that must be met for the technology to be trusted. Trust is essential, given that HEOR directly informs reimbursement, pricing, and access decisions that affect millions of patients and billions of healthcare dollars.
Successful adoption of AI in HEOR will depend on internal and external governance, transparency, accountability, and organizational readiness, as opposed to technological capability alone, to establish trust among health technology assessment (HTA) agencies and other decision-makers.
Key Takeaways
1. AI can substantially improve the efficiency of HEOR by accelerating evidence reviews, data extraction, real-world data analyses, modeling, and reporting.
2. Trustworthy adoption depends on transparency, validation, governance, and accountability, with human experts responsible for study design, interpretation, methodological decisions, and final conclusions.
3. The future is likely a hybrid model where artificial intelligence augments but does not replace expert judgment, supported by standards, oversight frameworks, and workforce readiness.
Read the full article in the September/October 2026 Vol. 2, No. 5 Edition of The Value and Outcomes Spotlight: An HEOR News Magazine on pages 30-32, or reach out to our team to learn more.