Date and Time
July 21, 2004
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Availability
Open to the public
No RSVP required

Speaker
Philip Alper, MD - Clinical professor of medicine at University of California-San Francisco

Surprisingly little attention is being paid to the pitfalls inherent in offering financial incentives based on provider performance. At the same time, programs that base part of provider reimbursement on conformity with evidence-based process and outcome measurements are increasing rapidly.

The consequences of offering financial incentives to providers are largely untested. A multiplicity of conflicting motives among stakeholders -- employers, insurers, providers and patients -- makes the interaction extremely complex and virtually guarantees unintended consequences.

These will be discussed, with particular attention to diabetes because of the high cost of instituting better controls and the even higher cost of treating complications when not doing so. California's experience with the Integrated Healthcare Association will be discussed in some detail. Primary care physician perspective and the potential impact of "pay for performance" initiatives on primary care will be emphasized.