Using quality incentives to drive physician adoption of health information technology

Medicare policies could have an important impact on physicians' decisions to use clinical information technology (IT) to better manage patient care. Sheera Rosenfeld and colleagues conclude that Medicare should pay physicians for the costs of adopting IT and assume that future savings to Medicare will justify the investment. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended establishing a budget-neutral pay-for-performance program to reward physicians for the outcomes of use, instead of simply helping them purchase a system. This commentary explains why the commission's policy may be more effective.