The Long-Term Effect of Premier Pay for Performance on Patient Outcomes

The authors found little evidence that participation in the Premier HQID program led to lower 30-day mortality rates, suggesting that the right mix of incentives and targets to ensure that pay for performance will drive improvements in patient outcomes have not been found. Even though Congress has required that the CMS adopt pay for performance for hospitals, expectations with regard to programs modeled after Premier HQID should remain modest.