Medicine, today, is supposed to be “patient-centered.”
But sometimes the patients feel a little off balance.
What can they do when everyone seems to be trying to push aggressive, expensive treatments on them? One solution — or a partial solution — is known as shared decision making, in which patients are given specific tools, such as easy-to-understand videos laying out the pros and cons of treatment choices, to help them make decisions along with their doctors.
The idea has been around for several years and is now getting a boost from a few state legislatures and the federal health care reform law. At least three multimillion-dollar grants have been awarded through the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, which was created by the health care law, to test and expand shared decision-making models… (Read more and view comments at Politico)
