Does the Frequency of Pay‐for‐Performance Payment Matter?—Experience from a Randomized Trial

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of incentive payment frequency on quality measures in a physician-specific pay-for-performance (P4P) experiment. STUDY SETTING: A multispecialty physician group practice. STUDY DESIGN: In 2007, all primary care physicians (n=179) were randomized into two study arms differing by the frequency of incentive payment, either four quarterly bonus checks or a single year-end bonus (maximum of U.S.$5,000/year for both arms). DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Data were extracted from electronic health records. Quality measure scores between the two arms over four quarters were compared. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: There was no difference between the two arms in average quality measure score or in total bonus amount earned. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians' responses to a P4P program with a small maximum bonus do not differ by frequency of bonus payment.