ABSTRACT

Objective:

Pay for performance (P4P) is a system by which physicians and other healthcare workers are rewarded for meeting pre-established targets for delivery of healthcare services. The aim of this study is to reveal what the staff of the anesthesiology department think about pay for performance. In addition, we reviewed whether anesthesia methods changed after pay for performance.

Methods:

We applied a survey to anesthesia staff in a public hospital. The survey consisted of 26 questions. The Likert scale was used for the survey. To demonstrate the effect of performance-based payment in anesthesia practices, we retrospectively examined the anesthesia records of the pre-and post- pay-for performance.

Results:

According to the replies to the survey questions, it is thought that the P4P system is unfair. The majority of anesthesia technicians were not satisfied with the performance-based payment. In 2003, 54 (4.39%) of 1230 patients who underwent general surgical procedures had regional anesthesia. However in 2007, 308 (20.46%) of 1505 patients who underwent general surgical procedures had regional anesthesia.

Conclusion:

Measurements in the present pay-for-performance system does not reflect the work quality. If deficiencies are identified, improvement can be achieved. Thus, health care workers satisfaction can be increased.