Outcomes of a Seven Practice Pilot in a Pay-for-Performance (P4P)-Based Program in Pennsylvania

Objective The objective of this study was to examine how targeted six-month interventions impacted best practice/patient outcomes for minority patients receiving primary care in physician practices participating in a pay-for-performance (P4P) program. Methods P4P practices were invited to participate in a pilot intervention study designed to improve care for minority patients with hypertension, diabetes, or pediatric asthma. The following patient medical records were reviewed to assess how the interventions impacted ( n = 7 practices): body mass index, diet and exercise, smoking, compliance with visits as recommended, blood pressure, sodium intake and weight management counseling, medication reconciliation, HbA1c testing, annual lipid profile, and anti-inflammatory medications. Results Significant improvements in various clinical quality measures were observed in all seven practices. Of the 19 specified interventions, 13 were statistically significant at α = 0.05 level and 14 met the target proportion. This suggests that the best practice intervention had a significant impact on some of the health care processes in the physician practices. Conclusions The most impactful interventions were those related to face-to-face educational discussions and patient medical chart documentations rather than those pertaining to medication adherence. Improvements in measuring reporting and recording of data at post-intervention were also observed.