Payment by Results: Implications for Occupational Therapy Practice

Payment by Results represents an important change in the way that the National Health Service reimburses health care providers for services in England. The purpose of this new payment system is to pay health care providers fairly and transparently while rewarding efficiency, encouraging volume growth and supporting patient choice initiatives. Payment by Results will have a profound effect on occupational therapy practice, particularly regarding cost containment, documentation and patient-centred practice. Therapists working under the Payment by Results scheme require a better understanding of financial opportunities and constraints to ensure that occupational therapy services flourish under this new payment system.