Blue Cross targeted its "rat out" letters to capitated doctors

That’s an interesting revelation. Physicians in a capitated system have a financial incentive to deny care to the most complex patients:

In other words, the Blues sent these letters only to doctors who might be as interested as Blue Cross, from a financial standpoint, in ridding the system of expensive patients. As in every good business model, the incentives of the parties (i.e., Blue Cross and the physicians) lined up perfectly.

Related posts:

1. Tufts Medical Center versus Blue Cross Blue Shield, who blinked?
2. Tufts Medical Center plays the Partners HealthCare card and drops Blue Cross Blue Shield
3. Everything old is new again: BC/BS re-introduces capitation
4. No health blogs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
5. Should docs be paid for switching patients to generics?
6. Don’t blame doctors for capitation’s downfall
7. Code blue

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