Maybe someone should tell the nurses: pay-for-performance

Medical and health care administration literature is replete with information on the growing pay-for-performance (p4p) reimbursement movement. In contrast, nursing literature is scant regarding information that nurses need to know as health care team members. The nurse plays a vital, yet not well-defined role, in measurable health care outcomes-the basis of p4p. Nurses' understanding and "buying into" p4p are vital for this reimbursement system to be successful. Hospital administrators' interest in current practice trends, such as electronic medical records, evidence-based practice, clinical pathways, and standardized order sets, is linked directly to the p4p movement. The nation's 2.9 million nurses (American Nurses Association) need to be knowledgeable about the issues surrounding p4p and their role in the changing world of reimbursement for medical services.