Pay-for-Performance for Doctors (Case 10)

In order to control heath care costs, some insurance companies have tried a pay-for-performance approach where physicians are payed more if or less if they fail to meet certain benchmarks, such as seeing a set number of patients a day, have 75% of women patients receive mammograms, or order 10% fewer MRI's. Experts disagree if the standards should be the actual outcomes of care, or a list of processes to be followed. Critics of the program argue that doctors may be forced to pit their own financial well-being against what is medically best for the patient.