Hospitals
Most U.S. hospitals are open to adopting pay-for-performance programs, according to an issue brief by Mathematica Policy Research.
For the study, researchers in 2005 conducted telephone interviews with quality improvement directors and senior executives at hospitals in 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The study found that 93% of hospitals would support a CMS movement toward pay-for-performance programs in the next few years. In addition, half of the senior executives interviewed said their hospitals' administrations would strongly support the movement, with responses of support coming from both hospitals that participate in pay-for-performance programs already and those that do not, according to the authors.
The researchers concluded that policymakers should be aware that:
- Hospitals that have not already adopted pay-for-performance might need time to familiarize themselves with the programs;
- Most hospitals support the 10 Hospital Quality Alliance pay-for-performance measures in their current form or with slight expansions; and
- Most hospitals have experience dealing with only one pay-for-performance system, possibly posing challenges for efforts to encourage adoption of programs from different payers (Felt-Lisk/Laschober, Mathematica Policy Research, November 2006).