Healthcare Payment for Outcomes like
Performance Pay for Teachers

The debate among educators about using student test scores to “grade” teachers has been around for a while. The debates line up like this:

Standardized testing can evaluate the efficacy of teaching skills vs. test scores more often evaluate the child’s ability to learn specified skills in a specified way and the environment they come from, not the teacher. Standardized tests do not allow for individuality. Standardized testing scores penalize the teacher in a poor school district and rewards teachers in affluent neighborhoods.

And there is plenty of blame to go around…..It’s the students fault, it’s the parents fault, it’s the teachers fault, its societies fault, it’s the systems fault, and it’s even the tests fault.

“ Research shows that the carrot of higher pay does not lead to better results. In an authoritative study conducted at Vanderbilt University, for example, teachers who were offered bonuses for improving student test results produced no more improvement than the control group.

Similar studies of teacher merit pay have shown null results in New York City and Chicago. Because of the lack of positive results, a number of pay for performance programs have been abandoned, including programs in New York City and California.”- See more at: http://parentsacrossamerica.org/performancepay/#sthash.EBcheETk.dpuf

The primary arguments against tying pay to test scores are as follows:

Now change your train of thought to healthcare; PAYMENT FOR OUTCOMES. Just substitute Doctor or Provider for teacher:

Can’t you just hear the similar arguments?

But there is one thing I heard recently that struck a chord of truth: “great teachers will motivate students to learn, great teachers will find ways to communicate the material in a way that students will learn and be excited about learning, and that translates to higher test scores”

So the question is “will great doctors motivate patients to good health?” Will they find ways to educate patients in a way that encourages patient participation in their good health? Will that translate to better reimbursements?

Your comments are appreciated!