INFORMING CONSUMER DECISIONS IN HEALTH-CARE - IMPLICATIONS FROM DECISION-MAKING RESEARCH

Despite the wider dissemination of health plan report cards, little is known about whether consumers will use this information in making pla n and provider choices. studies of human judgment and decision making are reviewed, as are their implications for devising strategies to inf orm consumers. The limitations of human information processing suggest that many consumers will not use performance information in making ch oices. Strategies are needed to support consumers who prefer to rely o n intermediaries as well as those who wish to apply the information fo r their own use. Many current strategies ate based on assumptions not supported by existing decision-making research. Although there is much to learn about: assisting consumers in making informed choices, a gre at deal is known from decision-making research. Our approaches and our research agenda must be based on this existing foundation of knowledg e.