title: The role of GP's compensation schemes in diabetes care: evidence from panel data.
abstract: We investigate the impact of the implementation of Diabetes Management Programs with financial incentives in the Italian Region Emilia-Romagna between 2003 and 2005. We focus on avoidable hospitalisations for diabetic patients for whom GPs receive additional payments exceeding capitation. We estimate a panel count data model to test the hypothesis that those patients under the responsibility of GPs receiving a higher share of their income through ad-hoc payments, are less likely to experience avoidable hospitalisations. Our findings indicate that financial transfers may help improve the quality of care, even when they are not based on the ex-post verification of performance. The estimated effect indicates that, at sample averages, an increase of 100 Euros of the financial incentives paid to GPs (around 17% of the yearly payment received by GPs for diabetes programmes) is expected to reduce the number of diabetic ACSCs by 1%, around 100 cases when projected on the entire region.
authors: Department of Economics, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors: Elisa
authors: E
authors: Iezzi
authors: Department of Economics, University of Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: matteo.lippibruni2@unibo.it.
authors: Matteo
authors: M
authors: Lippi Bruni
authors: Department of Economics, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Ugolini
mesh_terms: D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012052:Reimbursement, Incentive / Q000191:economics
keywords: Avoidable hospitalisations; Diabetes; Health economics; Primary care