From Models to Meaning: The Art of Making HEOR Matter

A discussion between Betsy J. Lahue & Sonya J Snedecor, PhD

(3 Min Read)

Executive Summary: HEOR plays a central role in market access but gets lost when buried in static slides or jargon-heavy summaries. Teams that communicate clearly to their audience turn data into persuasive insight.

Editor's Note: Betsy Lahue and scientific communication expert Sonya Snedecor discuss why HEOR often fails to resonate with non-technical audiences, and how clarity and empathy can make the science matter.

Why is Clarity so Hard in HEOR?

“Experts often assume their knowledge is common knowledge. It’s not.”

Sonya: HEOR professionals get so deep in their data that they forget what it's like to hear these concepts for the first time. That disconnect blocks critical stakeholders – including those making funding, pricing, and access decisions – from understanding our value.

Betsy: The stakes are high. Teams that can't clearly explain why HEOR matters internally struggle to get funding for evidence generation. You need a clear story that shows leadership why they should invest.

Why do some HEOR teams lean toward complexity when presenting to payers or providers?

Sonya: They think it makes them seem more credible. But it does the opposite. If you can explain something clearly, that builds trust. Neil deGrasse Tyson isn't the best astrophysicist in the world, but people trust him because they understand him. We need that same clarity in HEOR.

Betsy: Even experts appreciate plain language. A payer is an expert in policy, not trial design. A clinician might know outcomes, not economics. If we don't simplify, we may lose them.

Customize the Message, Not Just the Data

Betsy: Your ISPOR course talks about tailoring communications by audience. Can you share an example?

Sonya: We teach the three A's: Aim, Audience, Argument. Change one and the others must change too. I once saw a technical study written for HTA sent to a clinical journal, with no clinical interpretation. It didn't get past the editor. Right study, wrong format.

Betsy: I'd love to see more HEOR leaders use that logic internally. When presenting to executives or commercial teams, too many teams default to technical language. Your key stakeholders need to understand in their terms to make a decision, that's how you get buy-in.

Sonya: Sometimes the problem isn't what you're saying, it's how you've structured it. We once turned a dense meta-analysis into an interactive HTML appendix. Same data, different delivery.

Betsy: Whether it's a model, burden data, or patient insight, present information in your stakeholder's language and suited to their attention span. That might mean a dashboard or an infographic.

Sonya: Quick fix? Start with your slide titles. Too many HEOR slides lead with vague titles like "Objective" or "Results." Use that space to deliver the takeaway. Don't write "Efficacy Findings" when you can say "Treatment reduced hospitalizations by 48 percent." That's the first thing your audience will read. Make it count.

Betsy: If your headlines tell a story, you've done half the job. Your deck should read like a narrative.

The Patient Perspective, Communicated

Betsy: Payers want more than statistical significance. They want to understand how treatments change lives. When I included a woman with a rare disease in a recent payer session, her story about daily challenges and unmet needs transformed how they viewed our clinical data. One payer said she taught him more than three publications combined.

Sonya: The biggest mistake I see? Equating data with insight. A good communicator filters. Ask yourself: Does this point help me achieve my aim? If not, cut it. Just because it's in the dataset doesn't mean it belongs in the presentation.

Betsy: Don't assume stakeholders know what the data means, highlight the insight. Say it out loud and connect it to their priorities. What role does empathy play in scientific communication?

Sonya: A significant one. Think about how your audience will experience your content. Instructors at a good fitness class don't throw the whole routine at you at once. They build it step-by-step.

You need to stop centering the study and start centering the problem. If HEOR teams want to be seen as strategic, we need to talk more about the "why" and the "so what," not just the "how."

Betsy: Yes, stop using complexity as a crutch and see through the eyes of the audience. Then we can answer our stakeholder questions in language they understand.

Closing Thought

 The most effective HEOR teams are translators. They communicate clearly without dumbing things down, because the best experts make complex concepts simple.

Betsy J. Lahue is Chief Executive Officer of Alkemi, where she empowers teams to conquer value and access challenges.

Sonya J Snedecor, PhD or is a scientific communications coach whose upcoming ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research short course focuses on maximizing the impact of evidence across audiences.

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