Do rewards help doctors and patients lower bad cholesterol?
Physician attitudes toward participating in a financial incentive program for LDL reduction are associated with patient outcomes.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Paying only the doctor or only the patient didn’t significantly improve cholesterol over no incentive at all.
Many assume that paying doctors will automatically improve care, or that paying patients will change behavior—but neither worked alone. Only the shared model succeeded.
Practical Takeaways
Health programs should consider shared incentives—both provider and patient rewarded—for better results in chronic disease management.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Paying only the doctor or only the patient didn’t significantly improve cholesterol over no incentive at all.
Many assume that paying doctors will automatically improve care, or that paying patients will change behavior—but neither worked alone. Only the shared model succeeded.
Practical Takeaways
Health programs should consider shared incentives—both provider and patient rewarded—for better results in chronic disease management.
Publication
Journal
Healthcare
Year
2017
Authors
Tianyu Liu, D. Asch, K. Volpp, Jingsan Zhu, Wenli Wang, A. Troxel, A. Adejare, Darra D. Finnerty, Karen Hoffer, J. Shea
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Claims (3)
Doctors who liked the idea of giving money rewards to themselves or their patients for staying healthy saw bigger drops in their patients' bad cholesterol, especially when both doctor and patient got rewards.
Most doctors who treat patients at high risk for heart problems think it's fair to offer money rewards to both doctors and patients to encourage better care — and their opinions don’t change even after being in such a program for a year.
Doctors who see more patients each year are more likely to like the idea of getting paid extra for good care — and they also prefer sharing those bonuses with their patients.