AHIP study touts private pay-for-performance programs

A new report from America’s Health Insurance Plans, the trade association for the insurance industry, asserts that "private-sector efforts to improve heath care quality and value must be part of comprehensive health reform." (Source: “New Health Plan Payment Models are Improving Patient Quality and Safety,” AHIP news release, April 28, 2009)

The organization released a report, “Innovations in Recognizing and Rewarding Quality,” (pdf, 84 pages), which describes private insurance programs designed “to recognize and reward physicians and hospitals for achieving national benchmarks, demonstrating outstanding performance, and making measureable improvements over time.”

According to 2006 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, at least half of the  health plans in the nation included some pay-for-performance incentives in their provider contracts.