The health policy literature is filled with references to providers, but patients are all too often left out of the conversation regarding how to best meet their needs. Growing attention to patient-centered care – with the attendant need for a better understanding of patient goals, better methods for engaging patients in their care, and better measures of outcomes that have meaning for patients – recognizes the moral and practical need to view patients as the center of the health care system.

The April 2016 issue of Health Affairs, “Patients’ And Consumers’ Use Of Evidence,” contains a comprehensive examination of the issues related to engaging patients more fully in decisions about health care delivery. You are invited to join us on Thursday, April 7, 2016, at a forum at the W Hotel in Washington, where authors from the issue will discuss their work. Panels will cover:

• The Patient Engagement Imperative
• How Do We Engage Patients?
• Patient Narratives
• Report Cards
• Engaging on Price and Quality