Australian Primary Health Care Research and Information Service (PHCRIS), May 2014
- This policy issue review examines financial incentive programs instituted in Australia, the UK, the US and Canada to improve the quality of primary care. In all cases indicators are employed, though they are accompanied by different obligations and benefits.
- Different examples from across the globe have illustrated mixed levels of improvement following the introduction of incentives. Moreover, individuals who are rewarded tend to be those who are already offering high quality care prior to the incentives being implemented.
- Future programs may need to focus on practices that are not providing high quality baseline care and specifically target their processes.
