Pay for Performance Lowers Hospital Mortality in England

A British program based on the U.S. program had larger financial incentives, a slightly different configuration, and lower pneumonia-related mortality.

The concept of pay for performance (P4P) is very compelling in theory, and, as a result, programs have been implemented in the U.S. and internationally. However, evidence that P4P improves short-term process quality measures is scant, and little to no high-quality evidence shows that it leads directly to better patient outcomes or lower mortality (JW Hosp Med Apr 13 2012).

In 2008, the Advancing Quality initiative, based on the U.S. Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (HQID) project, was launched in all 24 National Health Service hospitals in northwest England. Researchers tracked 30-day in-hospital mortality among patients admitted with pneumonia, acute myocardial infarction, and heart failure during 18 months before and after initiati…

Reviewing Author

Aaron J. Calderon, MD, FACP

Disclosures

EquityAbbott; Medtronic; Merck; Pfizer; CVS Health Corp.; Bristol Myers Squibb

Aaron J. Calderon, MD, FACP

Disclosures

EquityAbbott; Medtronic; Merck; Pfizer; CVS Health Corp.; Bristol Myers Squibb