Shared Decision Making to Improve Care and Reduce Costs

Section 3506 of the Affordable Care Act encourages use of shared decision making in health care, but progress on this front has been slow. The first step is for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to begin certifying and implementing patient decision aids. A sleeper provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) encourages greater use of shared decision making in health care. For many health situations in which there's not one clearly superior course of treatment, shared decision making can ensure that medical care better aligns with patients' preferences and values. One way to implement this approach is by using patient decision aids — written materials, videos, or interactive electronic presentations designed to inform patients and their families about care options; each option's outcomes, including benefits and possible side effects; the health care team's skills; and costs. Shared decision making has the potential . . .