Promis® Health Organization

What Promis® Health Organization does

PROMIS Health Organization (PHO) is a private, nonprofit professional membership organization that supports the PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) — a validated set of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) covering physical, mental, and social health for adults and children. Founded around 2015 (one source dates inception to 2008) and operating from the Chicago area (River Forest, IL mailing address), PHO runs with 1-10 employees and serves a global community of clinical researchers, practicing clinicians, health system administrators, and quality improvement professionals across 50+ countries. PHO does not manufacture a proprietary software product; rather, it functions as the governing, educational, and community body for the PROMIS system, with measure distribution handled through the partner HealthMeasures platform.

The underlying PROMIS technology uses Item Response Theory (IRT) and Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) to deliver short forms and adaptive tests with standardized T-scores anchored to general-population norms, enabling cross-measure comparability and clinical interpretability. PHO's product surface includes the PROMIS measure library (notably the PROMIS-29 Profile and PROMIS Global Health), the PROsetta Stone tool for crosswalking to legacy instruments (FACT/FACIT, GAD-7, HOOS/KOOS, ODI, PHQ-9, SF-36), the HealthMeasures Dataverse (~40 de-identified datasets), the open-access APRO journal, and an annual international conference complemented by training workshops, webinars, and on-demand learning. Native Epic EHR integration extends the system into routine clinical workflows.

PHO monetizes a free measure ecosystem through community-driven revenue: membership dues, conference registration ($459-$599 per attendee; 12th annual conference scheduled for Prague in October 2026), training workshop fees ($199-$239 for the new 2026 virtual series), on-demand recording sales ($99-$399), sponsorships from healthcare technology and pharmaceutical companies (EMD Serono/Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Epic, FACIT), and journal article processing charges (currently waived through December 31, 2026). The PROMIS measures themselves carry no license fee or royalty, so PHO's economics depend on sustained member engagement, event attendance, and sponsor support rather than measure licensing.

Name

Promis® Health Organization

Legal name

PROMIS Health Organization

Website

https://promishealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PROMIS Health Organization is a nonprofit professional membership body that governs, educates, and convenes the global community of researchers, clinicians, and health systems using the PROMIS patient-reported outcome measurement system for physical, mental, and social health assessment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Outcomes Research Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Patient Outcomes & PROMs Analytics (real-world outcomes tracking) (HLACAHAL)

Keywords

• Patient-reported outcome measures
• Clinical outcomes research
• Health measurement tools
• Clinical research education
• Medical measurement system

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to member benefits, conferences at member rates, Info Hub access, and APRO journal membership.
2. Conference Registration: Annual international conference registration fees with tiered pricing for members, students, and non-members. PHO Member registration $459-499, Student Member $359-399, Non-Member $569-599.
3. Training Workshop Fees: 3-part online training workshop series: $199 PHO Member, $149 Student Member, $239 Non-Member, $179 Non-Member Student. Group discounts available.
4. Conference Recordings Sales: Post-conference on-demand access to recordings available for purchase. Cologne 2024 recordings: $129 PHO Member, $99 Student Member, $169 Non-Member.
5. APRO Journal Publication Fees: Advances in Patient-Reported Outcomes (APRO) journal - Article Publishing Charges (APCs) waived for submissions through December 31, 2026.
6. Sponsorships: Conference sponsorships from healthcare technology companies, pharmaceutical companies, and health systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

PROMIS Health Organization (PHO) is a professional membership organization that advances the development, dissemination, and application of PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) — a validated set of self- and parent-reported measures of physical, mental, and social health for adults and children. PHO delivers its mission through annual international conferences, multi-format training workshops, the peer-reviewed APRO journal, free and on-demand webinars, and a global network of National Centers, while the PROMIS measures themselves are distributed through the partner HealthMeasures platform as short forms and Computerized Adaptive Tests (CATs) using Item Response Theory (IRT).

Product overview

PROMIS Health Organization (PHO) is a professional membership organization that supports the PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) — a system of patient-reported outcome measures for assessing physical, mental, and social health. The core offering is the PROMIS measure library, available through HealthMeasures as short forms and computer adaptive tests (CATs) with standardized scoring. The ecosystem includes complementary products: the PROsetta Stone tool for crosswalking PROMIS scores with other measures, the HealthMeasures Dataverse for research datasets, the APRO journal for publications, and annual conferences and training workshops for education. PHO itself does not manufacture a proprietary software product; instead, it serves as the governing and educational body for the PROMIS system, with implementation supported through the HealthMeasures distribution platform and various EHR integration partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PROMIS Measures (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System)

Quantifiable outcome

• Mean Physical Function T-scores rose from 37.0 to 39.2 and Pain Interference T-scores fell from 62.1 to 57.5 in VA knee osteoarthritis study
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• HealthMeasurescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthMeasures is a key partner with the PHO, providing resources on PROMIS and serving as the official distribution center for PROMIS measures. HealthMeasures maintains the PROMIS website, publications database, and HealthMeasures Dataverse for de-identified datasets.
• Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes (JPRO)coreOthersJPRO publishes conference abstracts from PHO annual conferences as supplements. Abstracts from 2020-2022 conferences have been published in JPRO supplements.
• EpicmajorTechnology or IntegrationEpic is a conference sponsor and provides PROMIS software integration demonstrations. Epic has implemented PROMIS in their electronic health record system, facilitating clinical use.
• National Quality Forum (NQF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNQF supported the seminal work on Patient-Reported Outcomes in Performance Measurement to amplify the essential patient voice in quality measurement.
• RTI PressminorOthersPublished the free book 'Patient-Reported Outcomes in Performance Measurement' by Cella et al. as part of RTI Press peer-reviewed publications.
• International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPHO conferences often follow ISOQOL conferences at the same venue (e.g., Prague 2022, Prague 2026). This partnership facilitates attendance for international attendees.
• PROMIS National Centers RepresentativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of PROMIS National Centers (PNCs) in countries including Germany, Saudi Arabia, and others that promote and advance PROMIS use internationally.
• EMD Serono (Merck)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor for multiple years including 2022 Prague and 2023 Banff conferences.
• FACITminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor providing support for PROMIS-related events and initiatives.
• Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor for PHO events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• HealthMeasures: HealthMeasures is PHO's core strategic partner and serves as the official distribution platform for PROMIS measures. Operates the Assessment Center API, HealthMeasures Dataverse, and PROsetta Stone. Sits in the same PROMIS ecosystem but is the technical/operational counterpart rather than the professional society.
• Critical Path Institute (C-Path): C-Path is a nonprofit that develops drug development tools and consortia, including PRO and clinical outcome assessment consortia. Comparable public-private partnership model with shared goal of advancing standardized measurement in healthcare research.
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): PCORI funds comparative clinical effectiveness research centered on patient-reported outcomes. It is linked directly from PHO's website and overlaps on the patient-centered outcomes mission, though PCORI is a funder rather than a membership society.
• Cochrane: Cochrane is a global independent network producing systematic reviews that heavily rely on PRO endpoints from instruments like PROMIS. Comparable nonprofit/community model with member-driven research infrastructure and strong publication apparatus.

Broad incumbents

• National Quality Forum (NQF): NQF is a major US standards organization for healthcare performance measurement and a PHO partner. Supports PRO-based performance measurement at a national policy level — broader in scope but overlapping on PROMs in quality measurement.

Direct peers

• Mapi Research Trust (now Mapi Trust): Mapi Trust is a leading nonprofit that distributes and manages licensing of patient-reported outcome instruments (including EQ-5D). Operates in the same PRO distribution and stewardship space as HealthMeasures/PROMIS ecosystem.
• FACIT (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy): FACIT develops and licenses PRO instruments (FACT-G and disease-specific measures) and is a PHO conference sponsor. Direct PRO instrument developer competitor; PROsetta Stone crosswalks between PROMIS and FACIT.
• International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM): ICHOM develops standard outcome sets (including patient-reported outcomes) for value-based care, with a global network and conferences. Comparable mission in standardizing patient-centered outcomes and comparable nonprofit/membership structure.
• International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL): ISOQOL is the leading international scientific society dedicated to health-related quality of life research. PHO explicitly partners with ISOQOL — conferences are co-located (Prague 2022, Prague 2026). Highly comparable mission around advancing patient-reported outcomes.
• ISPOR — The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research: ISPOR is a global professional society for health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), with membership, conferences, journals, and training similar to PHO. It serves a broader HEOR audience but overlaps heavily on PRO methodology and value-based care.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/PROMIS_HLTH_ORG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/promishealth-org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Promis® Health Organization