Physician incentives for shared management of childhood cancer patients

Four years' experiences of 69 primary care physicians who delivered more than 70% of the chemotherapy to 174 children with cancer were assessed. Five academic pediatric oncologists were responsible for diagnosis, assignment to a clinical trial protocol, and overall management. The academicians saw the patients at diagnosis and at regularly scheduled intervals but provided care for less than 30% of the outpatient visits. Factors examined included: (1) why the primary care physicians agreed to participate in the care of these patients, (2) how they thought their participation affected the patient and the patient's family, (3) how participation affected their personal and professional development, (4) how participation affected their practice, (5) what their perceptions were concerning the merits of traditional specialist management, and (6) their overall evaluation of the Iowa shared-management program. The initial agreement by primary care physicians to participate in shared management was related to their perception that it would improve the overall care of their patients. The physicians agreed that the program saved the family time and money, was of educational value, personally satisfying, and not economically detrimental to their practice. They did not identify areas where specialist management had clear advantages over shared management and none reported dissatisfaction with this management program.