The authors argue that the pay-for-participation approach offers the greatest potential for improving surgical quality compared to centers-of-excellence and pay-for-performance strategies.
Payers are pursuing three strategies to improve surgical care. The centers-of-excellence approach steers patients to doctors and hospitals with low surgical morbidity and mortality. Pay for performance offers financial incentives to improve processes, such as preoperative administration of antibiotics. In pay for participation, payers provide resources to allow hospitals and surgeons to collaborate to improve the quality of care. The authors argue that the pay-for-participation approach offers the greatest potential for improving surgical quality.
Birkmeyer et al. (Wed,) conducted a editorial in Surgical care quality. Pay-for-participation approach vs. Centers-of-excellence and pay-for-performance approaches was evaluated. The authors argue that the pay-for-participation approach offers the greatest potential for improving surgical quality compared to centers-of-excellence and pay-for-performance strategies.