What is Medical decision making

Medical Decision Making

Medical decision making refers to the complexity of establishing a diagnosis and/or selecting a management option, which is determined by considering the following factors:

** The number of possible diagnoses and/or the number of management options that must be considered;

** The amount and/or complexity of medical records, diagnostic tests, and/or other information that must be obtained, reviewed, and analyzed; and

** The risk of significant complications, morbidity, and/or mortality as well as comorbidities associated with the patient’s presenting problem(s), the diagnostic procedure(s), and/or the possible management options.

The chart below depicts the elements for each level of medical decision making. Note that to qualify for a given type of medical decision making, two of the three elements must either be met or exceeded.