If you read this blog, then you likely know about the scam known as Pay for Performance (P4P). This program not only fails to deliver on its stated mission to improve medical quality, but it actually diminishes it. For a fuller explanation on why this is true, simply insert ‘Pay for Performance’ into this blog’s search box, and grab some Rolaids. In short, P4P pays physicians (or hospitals) more if certain benchmarks are met. More accurately, those who do not achieve these benchmarks are penalized financially. I do not object to this concept. Folks who perform at a higher level should be rewarded accordingly. My objection is that the benchmarks that have been selected are arbitrary and too far removed from true medical quality measurements. Benchmarks have been chosen that are easy to measure even if these measurements don’t count for much. In other words, what really counts in medicine, isn’t easy to count or measure. Medical Quality Measurement Instrument Co
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.