Participating physician preferences regarding a pay-for-performance incentive design: a discrete choice experiment

Using nominal group technique among resident physicians to identify key attributes of a burnout prevention program

PURPOSE

To identify preferred burnout interventions within a resident physician population, utilizing the Nominal Group Technique. The results will be used to design a discrete choice experiment study to inform the development of resident burnout prevention programs.

METHODS

Three resident focus groups met (10-14 participants/group) to prioritize a list of 23 factors for burnout prevention programs. The Nominal Group Technique consisted of three steps: an individual, confidential ranking of the 23 factors by importance from 1 to 23, a group discussion of each attribute, including a group review of the rankings, and an opportunity to alter the original ranking across participants.

RESULTS

The total number of residents (36) were a representative sample of specialty, year of residency, and sex. There was strong agreement about the most highly rated attributes which grouped naturally into themes of autonomy, meaning, competency and relatedness. There was also disagreement on several of the attributes that is likely due to the differences in residency specialty and subsequently rotation requirements.

CONCLUSION

This study identified the need to address multiple organizational factors that may lead to physician burnout. There is a clear need for complex interventions that target systemic and program level factors rather than focus on individual interventions. These results may help residency program directors understand the specific attributes of a burnout prevention program valued by residents. Aligning burnout interventions with resident preferences could improve the efficacy of burnout prevention programs by improving adoption of, and satisfaction with, these programs. Physician burnout is a work-related syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of reduced personal accomplishment [1]. Burnout is present in epidemic proportions and was estimated to occur in over 50 percent of practicing physicians and in up to 89 percent of resident physicians pre-COVID 19. The burnout epidemic is growing; a recent national survey of US physicians reported an 8.9 percent increase in burnout between 2011 and 2014 [2]. Rates of physician burnout have also increased [3] during the COVID-19 pandemic with a new classification of "pandemic burnout" experienced by over 52 percent of healthcare workers as early as June of 2020 [4]. Physician burnout can lead to depression, suicidal ideation, and relationship problems that may progress to substance abuse, increased interpersonal conflicts, broken relationships, low quality of life, major depression, and suicide [5-7]. The estimated rate of physician suicide is 300-400 annually [8-10].

Chronic care model in the diabetes pay-for-performance program in Taiwan: Benefits, challenges and future directions

In this review, we discuss the chronic care model (CCM) in relation to the diabetes pay-for-performance (P4P) program in Taiwan. We first introduce the 6 components of the CCM and provide a detailed description of each of the activities in the P4P program implemented in Taiwan, mapping them onto the 6 components of the CCM. For each CCM component, the following three topics are described: the definition of the CCM component, the general activities implemented related to this component, and practical and empirical practices based on hospital or local government cases. We then conclude by describing the possible successful features of this P4P program and its challenges and future directions. We conclude that the successful characteristics of this P4P program in Taiwan include its focus on extrinsic and intrinsic incentives (i.e., shared care network), physician-led P4P and the implementation of activities based on the CCM components. However, due to the low rate of P4P program coverage, approximately 50% of patients with diabetes cannot enjoy the benefits of CCM-related activities or receive necessary examinations. In addition, most of these CCM-related activities are not allotted an adequate amount of incentives, and these activities are mainly implemented in hospitals, which compared with primary care providers, are unable to execute these activities flexibly. All of these issues, as well as insufficient implementation of the e-CCM model, could hinder the advanced improvement of diabetes care in Taiwan.

Is the evidence on the effectiveness of pay for performance schemes in healthcare changing? Evidence from a meta-regression analysis

BACKGROUND

This study investigated if the evidence on the success of the Pay for Performance (P4P) schemes in healthcare is changing as the schemes continue to evolve by updating a previous systematic review.

METHODS

A meta-regression analysis using 116 studies evaluating P4P schemes published between January 2010 to February 2018. The effects of the research design, incentive schemes, use of incentives, and the size of the payment to revenue ratio on the proportion of statically significant effects in each study were examined.

RESULTS

There was evidence of an increase in the range of countries adopting P4P schemes and weak evidence that the proportion of studies with statistically significant effects have increased. Factors hypothesized to influence the success of schemes have not changed. Studies evaluating P4P schemes which made payments for improvement over time, were associated with a lower proportion of statistically significant effects. There was weak evidence of a positive association between the incentives' size and the proportion of statistically significant effects.

CONCLUSION

The evidence on the effectiveness of P4P schemes is evolving slowly, with little evidence that lessons are being learned concerning the design and evaluation of P4P schemes.

Attribute development and level selection for a discrete choice experiment to elicit the preferences of health care providers for capitation payment mechanism in Kenya

BACKGROUND

Stated preference elicitation methods such as discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are now widely used in the health domain. However, the "quality" of health-related DCEs has come under criticism due to the lack of rigour in conducting and reporting some aspects of the design process such as attribute and level development. Superficially selecting attributes and levels and vaguely reporting the process might result in misspecification of attributes which may, in turn, bias the study and misinform policy. To address these concerns, we meticulously conducted and report our systematic attribute development and level selection process for a DCE to elicit the preferences of health care providers for the attributes of a capitation payment mechanism in Kenya.

METHODOLOGY

We used a four-stage process proposed by Helter and Boehler to conduct and report the attribute development and level selection process. The process entailed raw data collection, data reduction, removing inappropriate attributes, and wording of attributes. Raw data was collected through a literature review and a qualitative study. Data was reduced to a long list of attributes which were then screened for appropriateness by a panel of experts. The resulting attributes and levels were worded and pretested in a pilot study. Revisions were made and a final list of attributes and levels decided.

RESULTS

The literature review unearthed seven attributes of provider payment mechanisms while the qualitative study uncovered 10 capitation attributes. Then, inappropriate attributes were removed using criteria such as salience, correlation, plausibility, and capability of being traded. The resulting five attributes were worded appropriately and pretested in a pilot study with 31 respondents. The pilot study results were used to make revisions. Finally, four attributes were established for the DCE, namely, payment schedule, timeliness of payments, capitation rate per individual per year, and services to be paid by the capitation rate.

CONCLUSION

By rigorously conducting and reporting the process of attribute development and level selection of our DCE,we improved transparency and helped researchers judge the quality.

Pay-for-performance for shared care of diabetes in Taiwan

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Comprehensive and continuous care is crucial for patients with diabetes. The diabetes pay-for-performance (P4P) program launched by the National Health Insurance (NHI) administration in Taiwan provides a financial incentive to facilitate this goal. In this study, we explored the characteristics of patients in the P4P program between 2005 and 2014.

METHODS

Data of patients with diabetes enrolled in the NHI program between 2005 and 2014 were extracted from the NHI research database. Patients were classed as having diabetes if they had three or more outpatient visits within 365 calendar days with an International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification diagnostic code of 250 or hospitalization one or more times with such a diagnosis. The trends of participating in the P4P program were analyzed.

RESULTS

Participation rate of the P4P program increased from 12.1% to 19% between 2005 and 2014. Participants were younger and more likely to be female than those not participating in the program. Lower risks of cancer-related mortality, annual mortality and heart failure were seen in patients participating in the P4P program than in those not participating.

CONCLUSION

Older, male patients with a high disease severity may be less likely to enroll in the P4P program. Although participation rate is increasing, a broad enrollment is expected.

What characteristics of provider payment mechanisms influence health care providers' behaviour? A literature review

BACKGROUND

Provider payment mechanisms (PPMs) create incentives or signals that influence the behaviour of health care providers. Understanding the characteristics of PPMs that influence health care providers' behaviour is essential for aligning PPM reforms for improving access, quality, and efficiency of health care services. We reviewed empirical literature that examined the characteristics of PPMs that influence the behaviour of health care providers.

METHODS

We systematically searched for empirical literature in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases and complemented these with physical searching of the references of selected papers for further relevant studies. A total of 16 studies that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified. We analysed data using thematic review.

RESULTS

We identified seven major characteristics of PPMs that influence health care providers' behaviour. Of these characteristics, payment rate, the sufficiency of payment rate to cover the cost of services, timeliness of payment, payment schedule, performance requirements, and accountability mechanisms were the most important.

CONCLUSIONS

Our review found that health care providers' behaviour is influenced by the characteristics of PPMs. Provider payment mechanism reforms that optimally structure these characteristics can elicit required incentives for access, equity, quality, and efficiency in service delivery among health care providers towards achieving universal health coverage.

Application of discrete choice experiments to enhance stakeholder engagement as a strategy for advancing implementation: a systematic review

Background

One of the key strategies to successful implementation of effective health-related interventions is targeting improvements in stakeholder engagement. The discrete choice experiment (DCE) is a stated preference technique for eliciting individual preferences over hypothetical alternative scenarios that is increasingly being used in health-related applications. DCEs are a dynamic approach to systematically measure health preferences which can be applied in enhancing stakeholder engagement. However, a knowledge gap exists in characterizing the extent to which DCEs are used in implementation science.

Methods

We conducted a systematic literature search (up to December 2016) of the English literature to identify and describe the use of DCEs in engaging stakeholders as an implementation strategy. We searched the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, Econlit, PsychINFO, and the CINAHL using mesh terms. Studies were categorized according to application type, stakeholder(s), healthcare setting, and implementation outcome.

Results

Seventy-five publications were selected for analysis in this systematic review. Studies were categorized by application type: (1) characterizing demand for therapies and treatment technologies (n = 32), (2) comparing implementation strategies (n = 22), (3) incentivizing workforce participation (n = 11), and (4) prioritizing interventions (n = 10). Stakeholders included providers (n = 27), patients (n = 25), caregivers (n = 5), and administrators (n = 2). The remaining studies (n = 16) engaged multiple stakeholders (i.e., combination of patients, caregivers, providers, and/or administrators). The following implementation outcomes were discussed: acceptability (n = 75), appropriateness (n = 34), adoption (n = 19), feasibility (n = 16), and fidelity (n = 3).

Conclusions

The number of DCE studies engaging stakeholders as an implementation strategy has been increasing over the past decade. As DCEs are more widely used as a healthcare assessment tool, there is a wide range of applications for them in stakeholder engagement. The DCE approach could serve as a tool for engaging stakeholders in implementation science.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13012-017-0675-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Elements of Program Design in Medicare's Value-based and Alternative Payment Models: a Narrative Review

Increasing emphasis on value in health care has spurred the development of value-based and alternative payment models. Inherent in these models are choices around program scope (broad vs. narrow); selecting absolute or relative performance targets; rewarding improvement, achievement, or both; and offering penalties, rewards, or both. We examined and classified current Medicare payment models-the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program (HVBP), Hospital-Acquired Conditions Reduction Program (HACRP), Medicare Advantage Quality Star Rating program, Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier (VM) and its successor, the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), and the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) on these elements of program design and reviewed the literature to place findings in context. We found that current Medicare payment models vary significantly across each parameter of program design examined. For example, in terms of scope, the HRRP focuses exclusively on risk-standardized excess readmissions and the HACRP on patient safety. In contrast, HVBP includes 21 measures in five domains, including both quality and cost measures. Choices regarding penalties versus bonuses are similarly variable: HRRP and HACRP are penalty-only; HVBP, VM, and MIPS are penalty-or-bonus; and the MSSP and MA quality star rating programs are largely bonus-only. Each choice has distinct pros and cons that impact program efficacy. Unfortunately, there are scant data to inform which program design choice is best. While no one approach is clearly superior to another, the variability contained within these programs provides an important opportunity for Medicare and others to learn from these undertakings and to use that knowledge to inform future policymaking.

The impact of Value Incentive Program (VIP) on the quality of hospital care for acute stroke in Korea

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to analyze the impact of Value Incentive Program (VIP) on the quality improvement of acute stroke care, and to determine the difference of effect by the size of hospitals.

INTERVENTIONS

Adopting the VIP on the fifth acute stroke quality assessment.

DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS

Using paired t-test and student t-test, we compared the quality assessment results of the third assessment, which was publicly reported without the VIP implementation and the fifth assessment, on which the VIP was applied. The subjects of the third assessment were acute stroke admissions in 201 hospitals (44 tertiary and 157 general hospitals) from January to March 2010. The fifth assessment included 201 hospitals (42 tertiary and 159 general hospitals) from March to May 2013.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Seven process indicators of acute stroke quality assessment and in-hospital mortality rate.

RESULT

In comparison to the third assessment, five of the seven process indicators showed statistically significant improvement in the fifth assessment. Also, there were significant decreases in the interquartile ranges of five process indicators. This phenomenon was more notable in general hospitals. The in-hospital mortality rate of hemorrhagic stroke in general hospitals showed a statistically significant decrease from 20.8% in the third assessment to 11.6% (P < 0.05) in the fifth assessment.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that the VIP was effective in improving quality of acute stroke care. The improvement was more prominent in general hospitals, and led to reduced quality gaps among hospitals.