BACKGROUND Payment for performance (P4P) strategies, which provide financial incentives to health workers and/or facilities for reaching pre-defined performance targets, can improve healthcare utilisation and quality. P4P may also reduce inequalities in healthcare use and access by enhancing universal access to care, for example, through reducing the financial barriers to accessing care. Howeve...

Pay-for-performance (P4P) has become one of the dominant approaches to improving quality of care, yet few studies have evaluated its effectiveness. We evaluated the impact on quality of all P4P programs introduced into physician group contracts during 2001-2003 by the five major commercial health plans operating in Massachusetts. Overall, P4P contracts were not associated with greater improveme...

OBJECTIVES In order to make tuberculosis (TB) treatment more effective and to lower the transmission rate of the disease, the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) in Taiwan implemented the 'Pay-for-Performance on Tuberculosis' programme (P4P on TB) in 2004. This study investigates the effectiveness of the P4P system in terms of cure rate and length of treatment. METHODS This retrospecti...

OBJECTIVES In order to make tuberculosis (TB) treatment more effective and to lower the default rate of the disease, the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) in Taiwan implemented the "pay-for-performance on Tuberculosis" program (P4P on TB) in 2004. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the P4P system in terms of default rate. METHODS This is a retrospective ...

Pay for performance (P4P) aims to use reimbursement to incentivize providers to deliver high-quality services. Th is article examines P4P in fi ve Medicaid nursing home programs: Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah, and Vermont. It describes each program and draws lessons regarding program participation, fi nancing, measurement, administration, and development. Findings highlight the importance of ...

BACKGROUND Health workers' motivation is a key determinant of the quality of health services, and poor motivation has been found to be an obstacle to service delivery in many low-income countries. In order to increase the quality of service delivery in the public sector in Tanzania, the Open Performance Review and Appraisal System (OPRAS) has been implemented, and a new results-based payment sy...

Pay-for-performance (P4P) initiatives have been discussed since the early 1990s, but support for the concept has grown recently, fueled by experience with quality of care measures, endorsements by key players and research that underlines the need for quality improvements and reform to the physician payment system. This synthesis examines the evidence on P4P. Key findings include: About one-thir...

BACKGROUND The evaluation of payment for performance (P4P) programmes has focused mainly on understanding contributions to health service coverage, without unpacking causal mechanisms. The overall aim of the paper is to test the causal pathways through which P4P schemes may (or may not) influence maternal care outcomes. METHODS We used data from an evaluation of a P4P programme in Tanzania. D...

OBJECTIVE The pay-for-performance (P4P) programme for diabetes care was implemented in Taiwan to promote holistic care for diabetic patients. This study investigated the effect of P4P on the need for emergency care for diabetic hypoglycaemia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database was used to gather nationwide data on patients with new-onset type 2 ...

BACKGROUND International interest in pay-for-performance (P4P) initiatives to improve quality of health care is growing. Current programs vary in the methods of performance measurement, appraisal and reimbursement. One may assume that involvement of health care professionals in the goal setting and methods of quality measurement and subsequent payment schemes may enhance their commitment to and...