As health systems rapidly expand the use of artificial intelligence, a fundamental question emerges: How do we know whether innovation is actually improving care from the patient’s perspective?
AI is now embedded across the patient journey, from scheduling to diagnostics, clinical workflows and follow-up care. These tools are becoming essential to modern healthcare operations. Yet technology alone does not guarantee better care. Systems that prioritize new technology and efficiency without understanding how patients experience these tools risk delivering efficiency gains without meaningful impact.
This is why patient-reported outcomes are becoming a critical lens for evaluating emerging technology. PROs provide direct insight into whether innovation improves understanding, confidence, engagement and trust, dimensions of care that strongly influence adherence and outcomes. For technology to serve its purpose, it must be adopted and adhered to, which relies on patient experience and thus the importance of PROs as objective measures to guide the advancement of technology.
Why PROs matter in the age of AI
Healthcare leaders frequently assess new technology based on accuracy, utilization, efficiency and cost savings. While necessary, these indicators do not capture how patients experience care, whether technology reduces anxiety, improves clarity or supports confidence during recovery.
This distinction is especially important in underserved settings, where barriers to engagement are often higher and poorly implemented technology can unintentionally widen disparities. PROs allow organizations to evaluate not just what technology does, but how it is experienced and whether it delivers value patients can actually feel.
Evidence from real-world clinical practice
A recent prospective, multisite observational study conducted in hospital-based rehabilitation clinics serving underserved communities in Los Angeles illustrates how PROs can meaningfully guide AI adoption.
The study evaluated an AI-powered, markerless motion-capture system integrated directly into routine outpatient and acute rehabilitation workflows. Unlike traditional motion-analysis technologies that relied on wearable sensors, reflective markers and specialized gait laboratories, this platform uses standard video and computer vision to assess movement and provide real-time visual feedback during therapy sessions.
Over the study period, 113 patients completed 332 post-session surveys, capturing usability, engagement, confidence and perceived progress. Nearly 87% of responses were positive, with particularly strong ratings for ease of use, staff support and patient engagement. Motivation and understanding of recovery were consistently endorsed, while emotional and perceived functional outcomes showed greater variability, underscoring the importance of pairing technical performance with patient-reported experience.
Experience-led implementation matters
Leaders involved in the study emphasized that technology outcomes are shaped as much by implementation as by design.
Patient experience is influenced by how technology fits into care, not just by the technology itself. Patient-reported feedback helps us understand whether new tools supporting the relationship between patients and caregivers. Innovation works best when it reduces confusion, builds confidence and strengthens trust during moments when patients are most vulnerable.
The study and associated clinical integration pilot were led by Shay Bhatia, lead author of the original research evaluating patient experience and leader of the clinical integration pilot at the Los Angeles hospitals and outpatient clinics. The research findings were shared across health systems including Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, Durham, N.C.-based Duke Health and Stanford (Calif.) Medicine with a shared understanding that patient experience is not supplemental but rather foundational to understanding whether innovation is delivering real benefit to patients.
“We started with a simple question: Does this technology make care better for patients?” Mr. Bhatia said. “Our goal was to implement a solution designed to improve care and the patient experience, and then objectively evaluate its impact through patient-reported outcomes. PROs allowed us to assess not just whether the technology worked, but whether it meaningfully improved the experience of care, particularly in settings where access to advanced tools has historically been limited. PROs are essential to determining whether innovation is truly serving patients.”
Scaling access to advanced care
Beyond experience, the study highlights the scalability potential of AI-enabled, markerless technologies. Historically, advanced motion analysis was limited to high-cost gait labs due to specialized equipment, staffing and infrastructure requirements. By removing sensors and laboratory constraints, this technology enables sophisticated assessment to be deployed across community hospitals, outpatient clinics and underserved settings.
This shift allows health systems to scale advanced rehabilitation capabilities, expand access and bring high-quality care to patients who previously would not have had access to such tools, aligning innovation with equity, access and systemwide impact.
The path forward
AI will continue to reshape healthcare, but its success will not be defined by sophistication alone — it will be defined by experience.
Health systems and clinical studies that embed patient-reported outcomes into innovation strategies are better positioned to ensure technology delivers care that is effective, trusted and scalable. In an era of rapid digital transformation, PROs are no longer optional. They are the mechanism that ensures AI delivers value patients can truly experience.
Amy Searls is the Chief Experience Officer at Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare.
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