Blue Shield of California announced Aug. 13 that it is awarding $31 million in bonuses to medical groups and independent practice associations in California linked to performance. That was the same amount awarded last year, according to the San Francisco Business Times. Nearly half of the payments are part of the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) pay-for-performance program, which rewards providers for the quality of their healthcare services, including clinical care, patient experience, and use of IT, based on criteria developed by the IHA.
Blue Shield uses the IHA standards to track physician organization performance on a range of clinical factors, including the immunization status of children in their care, control of HbA1c levels for patients with diabetes, and use of appropriate medications by those with asthma. By tracking performance and rewarding positive results, Blue Shield and other pay-for-performance health plans aim to encourage the use of best medical practices across the state. Read the news release.
