Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) is moving faster than ever. What was once a specialised function supporting HTA submissions is now at the centre of market access, policy, and real-world decision-making. In 2025, several clear trends are transforming how evidence is generated, evaluated and communicated. Here’s a concise look at the shifts that matter most.
1. The Rise of Real-Time Real-World Evidence (RWE)
Traditional retrospective RWE is giving way to real-time data feeds. With NHS data infrastructure becoming more interoperable, analysts can increasingly follow patient pathways as they unfold.
This shift is accelerating insights in areas such as:
- rapid treatment effectiveness checks
- early signal detection for adverse events
- continuous monitoring of service pressures
The quicker insights come through, the more HEOR professionals are being asked to generate living analyses rather than static reports.
2. HTA Expectations Are Becoming More Evidence-Intensive
Globally, health technology assessment (HTA) bodies are tightening expectations around:
- comparative effectiveness
- real-world performance
- long-term economic modelling
- transparency of assumptions
The UK, Europe and Canada are leading the push for more integrated clinical + economic evidence from the start of the product lifecycle. This means HEOR needs to begin earlier—not just at launch planning but often during Phase II.
3. Digital Health Is Creating a New Evidence Category
As digital therapeutics, remote monitoring tools and AI clinical support systems grow, HEOR is expanding beyond drugs and devices.
New evidence needs include:
- engagement-adjusted effectiveness
- health equity impacts
- algorithm performance across population segments
- long-term cost–benefit of prevention-focused digital tools
This is a major shift: value is no longer only clinical—it’s behavioural, operational and digital.
4. Patient-Generated Data Is Finally Being Treated as “Real Evidence”
We’re entering an era where PROs, wearables and patient-reported experience data are not optional extras—they’re required components of value demonstration.
Regulators and HTA bodies increasingly view this data as crucial for understanding treatment benefit in real life, not just controlled environments. HEOR teams are responding with:
- digital PRO dashboards
- patient preference studies
- hybrid RWE datasets combining clinical + self-reported outcomes
5. Transparency and Reproducibility Are Becoming Mandatory
Whether it’s economic models, R scripts or data processing pipelines, transparency is now a key expectation.
The trend includes:
- sharable model structures
- version-controlled assumptions
- clearer audit trails of data cleaning
- open-source modelling frameworks in some jurisdictions
This shift is reducing the “black box” nature of HEOR and making economic arguments more scrutinised—and more credible.
6. The Analyst Skillset Is Evolving
HEOR roles are blending into data science, with growing demand for skills in:
- Python/R modelling
- NHS data architecture
- machine-learning-ready datasets
- interactive dashboards and automation
The modern HEOR analyst must be a storyteller, an economist and a data scientist—often at the same time.
7. ICS-Level Insights Are Becoming a New Standard
With the NHS focused on place-based care, HEOR insights increasingly need to break down to:
- ICS-level burden of disease
- local pathway variation
- resource constraints
- inequalities and access gaps
This creates more relevant, actionable evidence for commissioners and local decision-makers.
Final Thought
HEOR is no longer just about supporting reimbursement—it’s becoming a strategic engine for decision-making, grounded in real-world performance and continuous evidence generation. For companies, researchers and consultants, the opportunity is significant: those who can blend rigorous methods with modern analytics will lead the next wave of evidence-based healthcare.