Linking Physicians' Pay to the Quality of Care — A Major Experiment in the United Kingdom

Abstract

In this Health Policy Report, the author describes a major pay-for-performance program that is being implemented in the United Kingdom. Additional government payments to family practitioners will be based on the quality of care they deliver. Family practitioners can earn up to 1050 quality bonus points (expected to be worth more than $75,000 in gross income) for performing well on a complex set of indicators that measure the quality of clinical care, organization of the practice, and experience of the patients.