health care decision counseling

What is health care decision counseling?

Services, sometimes provided by insurance companies, medical providers, or employers, that help individuals weigh the benefits, risks, and costs of medical tests and treatments. The goal of health care decision counseling is to help individuals make more informed choices about their health and medical care needs, and to help them make decisions that are right for their unique set of circumstances.

Health care decision counseling allows for shared decision-making, which involves the patient and their medical providers working together to make decisions about the patient's medical care. Shared decision-making improves patient outcomes and helps to optimize costs.¹