Would Financial Incentives Better Motivate Your Patients?

As reimbursement shifts away from traditional fee-for-service to more value-based payment initiatives, more physicians and health systems are receiving incentives for improving the quality of care provided to patients, for reducing the cost of care provided, and/or for boosting patient satisfaction scores.

Would a similar tactic help motivate patients to engage in healthier behaviors?

A survey put forth by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, the Deloitte 2013 Survey of U.S. Physicians, asked more than 600 physicians that question. The survey found:

• Seventy percent of survey respondents agreed that consumer incentives could be very helpful to achieve better treatment compliance. 

• Still, only 55 percent of physicians agreed that incentives are sufficiently powerful to motivate consumers to address lifestyle issues and positively change behavior.

When asked what type of incentives would work best with consumers the most popular response among physicians was financial incentives (such as direct payments, lower premiums, and lower copays). Other responses included rewards, perks, and points; and coaching, such as personal coaching, online coaching, and patient navigators.

Do you believe incentives would help motivate your patients to engage in healthier behaviors? Why or why not?Share your thoughts in the comments section below.