Homepage Story

Rewarding Quality: Pay for Performance Gains Momentum in Arizona

In partnership with St. Luke’s Health Initiatives and Southwest Health Alliance, Health Services Advisory Group, Inc. (HSAG), the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization of Arizona, hosted the Rewarding Quality Summit on June 3 to explore the possibilities of Pay for Performance (P4P) initiatives with Arizona health care providers.

The Summit allowed those already exploring P4P in other parts of the country to share their experiences with Arizonans. Speakers explored challenges faced by health plans, providers and insurers.

"This Summit allowed us to bring Arizona stakeholders together for the first time to discuss the topic of Pay for Performance," said Debra L. Nixon, MSHA, BSN, Vice President, Corporate Development, Health Services Advisory Group. "We hosted this event to allow those already working with Pay for Performance to share lessons learned and benefits achieved with those in Arizona who can benefit from this type of program."

Some of the speakers at the Rewarding Quality Summit included:

• Geoffrey Baker, MBA, President, Med-Vantage
• David L. Massanari, MD, Medical Director, United Community Health Center
• Antonio P. Legorreta, MD, MPH, Adjunct Professor, UCLA School of Public Health
• Jessica T. DiLorenzo, Project Leader, GE Health Care Initiatives

View materials, including presentations, from the Summit.

About the Pay for Performance (P4P) Initiative
Current payment methods provide health care providers with little incentive to improve quality of care. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), “Even among health professionals motivated to provide the best care possible, the structure of payment incentives may not facilitate the actions needed to systematically improve the quality of care, and may even prevent such actions.”

More than 35 health plans in the U.S. representing approximately 30 million members now offer P4P programs. Based on current growth trends, at least 80 health plans are expected to offer such programs by 2006, covering some 60 million members.