Patient-Reported Outcomes and the Economic Effects of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: The Value Proposition

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) can progress to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), death, or liver transplantation. NASH has also been associated with impaired health-related quality of life and poses a significant economic burden. Due to the negative clinical and patient-reported outcomes and economic burden of NAFLD, it is necessary to review this disease through the lens of value-based care, in which value is proportional to clinical and quality outcomes and inversely proportional to the costs of delivering these outcomes. I review the components of outcomes measured for patients with NAFLD and NASH and relate them to the value proposition, with the aim to deliver optimal patient-centered care.