Health care purchasing guide published

March 17, 2008

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has published a guide for employers, health plans and others in using consumer financial incentives to improve health care quality and reduce costs.

The guide, created by a multidisciplinary group of experts, includes examples of financial incentives, criteria for selecting performance measures and suggestions for increasing the likelihood that a consumer will be attracted by the incentives.

The guide, “Consumer Financial Incentives: A Guide for Purchasers,” includes 21 questions that health insurance purchasers should take into account when considering whether to implement an incentives program. It is intended to be used as a tool for exploring how such incentives might be used to improve community or market readiness for quality improvement.

To view the guide online, go to www.ahrq.gov/qual/value/incentives.htm.