Zeeshan Butt, PhD

I help health systems, payers, and digital health companies listen to patients in ways that measurably improve care. Trained as a clinical psychologist and health services researcher, I focus on patient-reported outcomes (PROs), healthcare quality measurement, and the realities of implementing evidence-based tools in complex medical settings.

My career began at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where I led NIH-, DOD-, FDA-, PCORI- and industry-funded studies to improve assessment of patient symptoms and quality of life and mentored trainees in research and clinical care. Clinically, I served as the sole psychologist for several organ transplant programs and worked with patients with cancer and other chronic illnesses, collaborating closely with multidisciplinary teams during high-stakes moments of transition and recovery.

In 2021, I moved into healthcare technology at Phreesia to bring measurement science to scale. There, I expanded and diversified the PRO library, increased the number of organizations using PRO solutions, and streamlined custom PRO builds so they could be deployed more efficiently. I also led the effort to secure a PRO-based performance measure in a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) payment program and spearheaded the multidisciplinary workstream that won re-endorsement of that healthcare quality measure—demonstrating how patient input can shape how care is delivered and paid for.

I’m often the only psychologist in the room, which has sharpened my ability to communicate our science clearly to healthcare leaders, policymakers, product teams, and clinicians. Through Motia Health Consulting, PLLC, I now provide behavioral health and measurement expertise to startups and other organizations, helping them design, implement, and scale patient-centered measurement strategies that make healthcare more humane, equitable, and effective. I also maintain a limited private practice to bring evidence-based care to patients directly.

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