Paying the doctor: evidence-based decisions at the point-of-care and the role of fee-for-service incentives.
This article develops a framework for understanding how financial and nonfinancial incentives can complicate point-of-care decision-making by physicians, leading to the overuse or underuse of healthcare services. By examining the types of decisions that clinicians and patients make at the point-of-care, the framework clarifies how incentives can distort physicians' decisions about testing, diagnosis and treatment, as well as efforts to enhance patient adherence. The analysis highlights contributing factors that promote and impede evidence-based decision-making, using examples from the 'Choosing Wisely' program. It concludes with a summary of how the existing fee-for-service payment system in the USA may contribute to the problems of over- and under-testing, diagnosis and treatment, highlighted through the efforts of Choosing Wisely.
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., 1100 First St NE, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20002, USA.
Eugene C
EC
Rich
Timothy K
TK
Lake
Christal Stone
CS
Valenzano
Myles M
MM
Maxfield
D003657:Decision Making; D003954:Diagnostic Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000191:economics; D018588:Fee-for-Service Plans / Q000191:economics*; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000191:economics*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States