Physicians often need incentives to accept DM
September 1, 1998
Physicians often need incentives to accept DM
One way to get physicians to accept disease management programs with enthusiasm is to offer them economic incentives.
Many physicians are at risk for some amount of hospital care for their patients, so if an organization provides a disease management program that guarantees reduced hospital stays, physicians will benefit and be more likely to participate, says Al Lewis, executive director of the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium in Boston. Lewis works with 19 health plans, assisting them in identifying, selecting, and contracting for disease management programs.
At HealthNet, which operates in Missouri and Kansas, affiliated practices that assume risk realize savings when hospital care is reduced through disease management initiatives, says Harry L. Leider, MD, vice president of health services and corporate medical director. And it pays physicians an honorarium for helping to develop disease management programs.
It also may begin to pay physicians an annual case management fee for patients enrolled in these programs, to cover the time they spend communicating with program staff, Leider says.
"It takes time to talk to a case manager or go over a care plan," Leider says, "and some physicians are concerned that they are not being compensated for that effort. Successful disease management programs need to address that."
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