The National Association for State Health Policy (NASHP), through an educational grant from the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation, has released a report entitled: “Shared Decision Making: Advancing Patient-Centered Care through State and Federal Implementation.” The authors examine the legislative and regulatory approaches used in Maine, Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont and Washington to promote shared decision making (SDM) implementation and make recommendations on how other states can incorporate SDM into their care delivery models.
“This report is the most comprehensive piece we have to date on shared decision making at the state level. It delves into how to make SDM implementation a reality by taking a critical look at the various ways individual states have been able to do so and the critical lessons learned from their experiences,” says Ben Moulton, Foundation senior legal advisor. Ben lent his guidance and legal expertise to the development of this report.
The report includes six main recommendations states should take to promote SDM implementation:
- Build SDM into current momentum to transform the health care delivery system.
- Identify procedures with significant variation in utilization rates according to state data or state-specific Dartmouth Atlas analysis, and consider state legislation to promote pilot projects for these procedures.
- Capitalize on state roles as purchasers, regulators, conveners and educators.
- Use a multi-faceted approach in collaboration with private partners.
- Engage providers as partners throughout the SDM process, providing adequate training in, and using provider expertise to integrate SDM into the care process.
- Implement SDM in an integrated system if available; if not, implement a fee-for-service system.
Download the full NASHP white paper. (PDF 434 kb)
Download the companion piece with state SDM legislation. (PDF 2.8 mb)
