Pay for Performance in Health Care: Methods and Approaches

This book provides a balanced assessment of pay for performance (P4P). P4P programs have become widespread in health care, resulting in the development and testing of new types of payment systems that are heavily featured in the new health reform law. The authors review characteristics of P4P, analyze its strengths and weaknesses, set P4P in the context of other health policy options, assess the degree to which the current enthusiasm for P4P is realistic, review how P4P programs should be evaluated to assess their impact, and consider how P4P could become more effective in the future.