Can P4P be manipulated?

Of course it can – and expect this to happen routinely once P4P is instituted:

A diagnosis which was not really the primary medical issue suddenly becomes number one because of dollars, and a lack of documentation rather than lack of care ends up being construed as a lack in quality. In response to this, hospitals are placing an enormous effort on documentation (”buffing the chart”). Not necessarily a bad thing, but how much of that really benefits patients?

(via a reader tip)

Related posts:

1. The polished chart
2. The best way for hospitals to improve themselves
3. Reader take: Patients should be allowed to access their entire medical record
4. EHRs in the real world
5. Physician recruiting: Money talks
6. Medicare ceases to pay for medical errors
7. Wrong focus

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Tagged as: hospital, patient, primary care