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URL: http://informedmedicaldecisions.org/

Proper Citation: Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making (RRID:SCR_008509)

Description: Mission The Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making is a non-profit organization dedicated to assuring that people understand their choices and have the information they need to make sound decisions affecting their health and well being. To accomplish our mission: We promote understanding and adoption of informed medical decision-making. We organize and frame medical evidence in an unbiased manner to help people evaluate their options, particularly in instances where differences in individual preferences and perspectives are likely to affect personal choice. We sponsor research to expand knowledge of how to improve decision quality in health care. Medical Evidence The science of medical care is advancing at a rate that makes the delivery of quality patient-focused care an enormous challenge. New information about disease biology and genetics, rapid development of new tests and treatments, and the shift in disease from largely acute to largely chronic are all important contributing factors. Patient Perspective Medical research on practice variation indicates that patient perspectives are often less important in treatment decisions than factors having little to do with patients or their illnesses, such as geography, economics or supplier-induced demands. The Foundation brings the patient perspective into focus by interviewing real patients who can talk about the choices they made and why. Without the perspective of the patient, we cannot achieve a quality medical decision. Informed Medical Decisions The Foundation believes that it is the convergence of the two concepts: medical evidence and patient perspectives that create a truly informed decision in medical care. Funding The Foundation has worked in a unique partnership with Health Dialog since 1997. Health Dialog delivers patient support services to employers and health plans that are committed to providing excellence to their members or employees. As of July 2006, Health Dialog served seventeen million people through its contracts with healthcare insurers and corporations. Access to the Foundation''s decision support materials is a key benefit that Health Dialog''s clients receive. Health Dialog produces the Foundation''s new programs and distributes decision support materials and services to patients. A portion of Health Dialog''s revenue goes to the Foundation in the form of royalties to support the development of new decision support materials and research on how best to support patient decisions. The Foundation does not accept funding from any source that has a financial interest in any particular approach to medical testing or treatment. Foundation employees and clinical content experts do not accept support from companies that commercially market any kind of treatment or device that might be relevant to a program.

Synonyms: Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making

Resource Type: data or information resource, portal, organization portal