Patient opinions regarding 'pay for performance for patients'

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Pay for performance (P4P) programs show limited outcome improvements and do not address patient behaviors.
• Employers and payers are increasingly adopting pay for performance for patients (P4P4P) to lower costs and enhance population health.
• Patient perceptions of P4P4P remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient acceptability of P4P4P programs.
• To understand patient views on financial incentives for health behavior change.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, self-administered survey was employed.
• Participants were recruited from waiting rooms of two university-based primary care clinics.
• Opinions on financial incentives for smoking cessation, weight loss, blood pressure control, and diabetes management were gathered.

Main Results:

• Patient responses regarding P4P4P desirability were divided, with 36-42% viewing it favorably and 41-44% unfavorably.
• Smokers and obese patients showed greater acceptance of P4P4P for tobacco cessation and weight loss, respectively.
• Support varied across different health behaviors targeted by P4P4P.

Conclusions:

• Public acceptance of P4P4P is currently equivocal.
• Demonstrating the efficacy of P4P4P programs may be crucial for broader adoption.
• Further research is needed to understand factors influencing patient acceptance of performance-based incentives.