Pay-for-performance metrics must be more impactful and physician-controlled

All quality metrics are wrong; Some quality metrics could become useful

2025-02-24

(Press-News.org) Pay-for-Performance Metrics Must Be More Impactful and Physician-Controlled

Background: This editorial builds on a study by Brulin and Teoh, released ahead of the March/April 2025 issue of Annals of Family Medicine, which found that performance-based reimbursement is associated with lower perceived quality of care by increasing illegitimate tasks and moral distress for primary care physicians.

Editorial Stance: Quality metrics and pay-for-performance initiatives are far more expensive than many patients, clinicians, or administrators realize. The authors call for more rigorous review through cluster randomized controlled trials both before and after implementation—and recommend against implementing metrics with little impact or those that detract from care. They recommend refocusing incentives on targets that are impactful, time-limited, low-cost, and physician-controlled.

Why It Matters: While no single metric is perfect, some can support better care if applied thoughtfully and tested in real-world settings. All Quality Metrics Are Wrong; Some Quality Metrics Could Become Useful

Michael E. Johansen, MD, MS, et al

Grant Family Medicine, OhioHealth, Columbus, Ohio

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

GLP-1RAs may offer modest antidepressant effects compared to DPP4is but not SGLT-2is

2025-02-24

Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, threads, and Linkedin Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent. ---------------------------- 1. ...

Performance-based reimbursement increases administrative burden and moral distress, lowers perceived quality of care

2025-02-24

Performance-Based Reimbursement Increases Administrative Burden and Moral Distress, Lowers Perceived Quality of Care Background and Goal: Performance-based reimbursement (PBR) is a payment system in which clinics receive compensation based on the quality and outcomes of care they deliver, rather than the volume of services provided. Although designed to improve efficiency and effectiveness, the growth of PBR systems has been linked to increased administrative work for physicians. This study examined how PBR affects doctors' perceived ability to provide quality ...

Survey finds many Americans greatly overestimate primary care spending

2025-02-24

Survey Finds Many Americans Greatly Overestimate Primary Care Spending Background and Goal: This study, based on an online survey of 1,135 adults demographically representative of the U.S. population, aimed to measure public perceptions of primary care spending. Key Insights: Respondents believed that 51.8% of overall health care spending goes to primary care—more than 10 times the documented share of 4.7%. Additionally, respondents believed that primary care addresses 58.7% of health care needs, very close to actual primary care utilization as a percentage of all ambulatory physician ...

Researchers advance RNA medical discovery decades ahead of schedule

2025-02-24

Ribonucleic acid, commonly known as RNA, is involved in many biological functions, and some, including gene silencing, are utilitized to cure diseases. RNA has recently gained attention as a promising drug target. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of RNA structures have been determined experimentally, and the process of uncovering these structures requires significant time and effort. Using this time scale, the structures of many life saving RNA may not be discovered for years. As a result, there is a significant gap between the types of known ...

Immune ‘fingerprints’ aid diagnosis of complex diseases in Stanford Medicine study

2025-02-24

Your immune system harbors a lifetime’s worth of information about threats it’s encountered — a biological Rolodex of baddies. Often the perpetrators are viruses and bacteria you’ve conquered; others are undercover agents like vaccines given to trigger protective immune responses or even red herrings in the form of healthy tissue caught in immunological crossfire. Now researchers at Stanford Medicine have devised a way to mine this rich internal database to diagnose diseases as diverse as diabetes COVID-19 responses to influenza vaccines. Although they envision the approach as a way to screen for multiple diseases ...

Ancient beaches testify to long-ago ocean on Mars

2025-02-24

A Chinese rover that landed on Mars in 2021 detected evidence of underground beach deposits in an area thought to have once been the site of an ancient sea, providing further evidence that the planet long ago had a large ocean. The now-inactive rover, called Zhurong, operated for a year, between May 2021 and May 2022. It traveled 1.9 kilometers (1.2 miles) roughly perpendicular to escarpments thought to be an ancient shoreline from a time — 4 billion years ago — when Mars had a thicker atmosphere and a warmer climate. Along its path, the rover used ground penetrating radar (GPR) to probe up to 80 meters (260 feet) beneath the surface. This ...

Gulf of Mars: Rover finds evidence of ‘vacation-style’ beaches on Mars

2025-02-24

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Mars may have once been home to sun-soaked, sandy beaches with gentle, lapping waves according to a new study published today (Feb. 24) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). An international team of scientists, including Penn State researchers, used data from the Zhurong Mars rover to identify hidden layers of rock under the planet’s surface that strongly suggest the presence of an ancient northern ocean. The new research offers the clearest evidence yet that the planet ...

MSU researchers use open-access data to study climate change effects in 24,000 US lakes

2025-02-24

Feb. 24, 2025 MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request.  Contact: Emilie Lorditch: 517-355-4082, lorditch@msu.edu Images MSU researchers use open-access data to study climate change effects in 24,000 US lakes EAST LANSING, Mich. – Each summer, more and more lake beaches are forced to close due to toxic algae blooms. While climate change is often blamed, new research suggests a more complex story: climate interacts with human activities like agriculture and urban runoff, which funnel excess ...

More than meets the eye: An adrenal gland tumor is more complex than previously thought

2025-02-24

Fukuoka, Japan - Kyushu University researchers have uncovered a surprising layer of complexity in aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs)—adrenal gland tumors that drive high blood pressure. Using cutting-edge analysis techniques, they discovered that these tumors harbor at least four distinct cell types, including ones that produce cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. Published in the week beginning 24 February in PNAS, their findings not only explain why some patients with APAs develop unexpected health issues, like weakened bones, but also pave the way toward new treatment strategies. “Currently, the only ...

Origin and diversity of Hun Empire populations

2025-02-24

The Huns suddenly appeared in Europe in the 370s, establishing one of the most influential although short-lived empires in Europe. Scholars have long debated whether the Huns were descended from the Xiongnu. In fact, the Xiongnu Empire dissolved around 100 CE, leaving a 300-year gap before the Huns appeared in Europe. Can DNA lineages that bridge these three centuries be found? To address this question, researchers analyzed the DNA of 370 individuals that lived in historical periods spanning around 800 years, from 2nd century BCE to 6th century CE, encompassing sites in the Mongolian steppe, Central Asia, and the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Racial/ethnic disparities among people fatally shot by U.S. police vary across state lines

US gender differences in poverty rates may be associated with the varying burden of childcare

3D-printed robotic rattlesnake triggers an avoidance response in zoo animals, especially species which share their distribution with rattlers in nature

University of Minnesota scientists reveal how deadly Marburg virus enters human cells, identify therapeutic vulnerability

Researchers uncover distinct tumor “neighborhoods”, with each cell subtype playing a specific role, in aggressive childhood brain cancer

To attempt world record, researchers will use their finding that prep phase is most vital to accurate three-point shooting

AI is homogenizing human expression and thought, computer scientists and psychologists say

Severe COVID-19, flu facilitate lung cancer months or years later, new research shows

[Press-News.org] Pay-for-performance metrics must be more impactful and physician-controlled
All quality metrics are wrong; Some quality metrics could become useful