An Analysis of Pay-for-Performance Schemes and Their Potential Impacts on Health Systems and Outcomes for Patients

Pay-for-performance (P4P) programs have been introduced into the Canadian medical system in the last decades. This paper examines the underlying characteristics of P4P and describes both their advantages and drawbacks. Most P4P programs provide the advantage of rewarding medical acts, thus providing...

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Main Authors: Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, Raphaëlle Robidoux, Gianni D’Egidio, Shannon M. Fernando, David Neilipovitz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2019-01-01
Series:Critical Care Research and Practice
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/8943972
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author Kwadwo Kyeremanteng
Raphaëlle Robidoux
Gianni D’Egidio
Shannon M. Fernando
David Neilipovitz
author_facet Kwadwo Kyeremanteng
Raphaëlle Robidoux
Gianni D’Egidio
Shannon M. Fernando
David Neilipovitz
author_sort Kwadwo Kyeremanteng
collection DOAJ
description Pay-for-performance (P4P) programs have been introduced into the Canadian medical system in the last decades. This paper examines the underlying characteristics of P4P and describes both their advantages and drawbacks. Most P4P programs provide the advantage of rewarding medical acts, thus providing an incentive to take on complex patients. There is a variety of nuanced P4P initiatives, which provide financial incentive according to differing criteria, based on quality measures, incentives, and/or benchmark structures. However, there is no conclusive evidence demonstrating that P4P programs provide better value for money than traditional pay schemes, regardless of particular structural choices. Some evidence has even shown that P4P may be detrimental, especially in disadvantaged and high-risk populations. Additionally, there are a number of ethical and practical concerns that arise with the use of P4P, such as the risk of financial incentives being misused or misinterpreted and patients being refused or referred during treatment. P4P initiatives require careful examination and the creation of solid, evidence-based criteria for evaluation and implementation in Canadian medical systems.
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series Critical Care Research and Practice
spelling doaj-art-912ecc0bb7dc4bdf989850ecf90d6a002025-08-20T02:09:42ZengWileyCritical Care Research and Practice2090-13052090-13132019-01-01201910.1155/2019/89439728943972An Analysis of Pay-for-Performance Schemes and Their Potential Impacts on Health Systems and Outcomes for PatientsKwadwo Kyeremanteng0Raphaëlle Robidoux1Gianni D’Egidio2Shannon M. Fernando3David Neilipovitz4University of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Est, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, CanadaUniversity of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Est, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, CanadaUniversity of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Est, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, CanadaQueen’s University, 99 University Avenue, Kingston, K7L 3N6, CanadaUniversity of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Est, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, CanadaPay-for-performance (P4P) programs have been introduced into the Canadian medical system in the last decades. This paper examines the underlying characteristics of P4P and describes both their advantages and drawbacks. Most P4P programs provide the advantage of rewarding medical acts, thus providing an incentive to take on complex patients. There is a variety of nuanced P4P initiatives, which provide financial incentive according to differing criteria, based on quality measures, incentives, and/or benchmark structures. However, there is no conclusive evidence demonstrating that P4P programs provide better value for money than traditional pay schemes, regardless of particular structural choices. Some evidence has even shown that P4P may be detrimental, especially in disadvantaged and high-risk populations. Additionally, there are a number of ethical and practical concerns that arise with the use of P4P, such as the risk of financial incentives being misused or misinterpreted and patients being refused or referred during treatment. P4P initiatives require careful examination and the creation of solid, evidence-based criteria for evaluation and implementation in Canadian medical systems.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/8943972
spellingShingle Kwadwo Kyeremanteng
Raphaëlle Robidoux
Gianni D’Egidio
Shannon M. Fernando
David Neilipovitz
An Analysis of Pay-for-Performance Schemes and Their Potential Impacts on Health Systems and Outcomes for Patients
Critical Care Research and Practice
title An Analysis of Pay-for-Performance Schemes and Their Potential Impacts on Health Systems and Outcomes for Patients
title_full An Analysis of Pay-for-Performance Schemes and Their Potential Impacts on Health Systems and Outcomes for Patients
title_fullStr An Analysis of Pay-for-Performance Schemes and Their Potential Impacts on Health Systems and Outcomes for Patients
title_full_unstemmed An Analysis of Pay-for-Performance Schemes and Their Potential Impacts on Health Systems and Outcomes for Patients
title_short An Analysis of Pay-for-Performance Schemes and Their Potential Impacts on Health Systems and Outcomes for Patients
title_sort analysis of pay for performance schemes and their potential impacts on health systems and outcomes for patients
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/8943972
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