A pay-for-performance program may increase referrals to tobacco quitline services, particularly among clinics who have not previously participated in quality improvement activities.
Lawrence C. An, M.D., of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and colleagues randomly assigned 24 primary care clinics to participate in a program offering $5,000 for 50 quitline referrals. Between Sept. 1, 2005, and June 31, 2006, these clinics referred 11.4 percent of eligible smokers, compared with 4.2 percent among 25 clinics offering usual care. The results of the study are reported in the October 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine (read abstract).
"Quitlines are widely available, and application of pay-for-performance strategies to encourage healthcare provider referral should be strongly considered by healthcare organizations seeking to reduce the health and economic burden of tobacco-related disease," the authors write.
