As partners across Central Europe experimented with new models of care through five territorial Living Labs, one message became increasingly clear: system transformation is most powerful when it grows from the territorial level upward. Policy‑relevant insights emerging from Health Labs4Value show how countries can strengthen the conditions for Value‑Based Healthcare (VBHC) and ensure that local innovation becomes a driver of national and European‑level change.
Territories as engines of system learning
Experience from all participating regions demonstrated that territorial Living Labs provide an ideal environment for testing and scaling value‑based approaches. Positioned close to real service delivery yet connected to strategic decision‑making, they bridge the gap between daily practice and policy. This proximity allows stakeholders to redesign care pathways, test new workflows and generate evidence that policymakers can use to guide broader reforms.
Aligning funding and procurement with value
A recurring insight concerned the role of procurement and financing: innovation flourishes when incentives support long‑term outcomes rather than short‑term cost containment. Partners highlighted that medical technologies and digital tools become genuine value drivers when they are embedded within well‑designed pathways and supported by outcome‑oriented procurement models. Territorial Living Labs offered a safe space to test such approaches before introducing them into national frameworks.
Outcome data as a foundation for governance
Another lesson relates to data. PROMs and PREMs — measuring patient‑reported outcomes and care experiences — created meaningful feedback loops at the territorial level. When used as learning tools rather than administrative requirements, they helped clinicians and managers identify unwarranted variation, address coordination gaps and guide improvements. Scaling VBHC will require national support for interoperable outcome data infrastructures that return information quickly to those who use it in practice.
Investing in facilitation, leadership and system capability
Partners emphasized that reform depends as much on people as on tools. Effective facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and leadership at different levels of the system proved essential for sustaining collaboration. Policies that invest in these capacities — rather than only in technologies — create conditions where value‑based approaches can take root and grow.
Towards cross‑border learning and long‑term transformation
Health Labs4Value also showed the importance of learning beyond individual projects. By connecting territories across five countries, the initiative enabled comparison, peer support and transfer of ideas. Scaling VBHC will require similar cross‑border and cross‑sector collaboration, allowing regions to learn from each other while adapting approaches to local contexts.
As the participating Living Labs continue beyond the project, they lay the groundwork for a more connected, outcome‑oriented and people‑centred approach to healthcare across Central Europe. These policy insights offer a clear direction: sustainable transformation emerges when territories are empowered to learn, innovate and shape systems around what matters most to patients and professionals.