Better Ways to Pay for Health Care
Payers for health care are pursuing a variety of policies as part of broader efforts
to improve the quality and efficiency of care. Payment reform is but one policy tool
to improve health system performance that requires supportive measures in place such
as policies with well-developed stakeholder involvement, information on quality, clear
criteria for tariff setting, and embedding evaluation as part of the policy process.
Countries should not, however, underestimate the significant data challenges when
looking at price setting processes. Data access and ways to overcome its fragmentation
require well-developed infrastructures. Policy efforts highlight a trend towards aligning
payer and provider incentives by using evidence-based clinical guidelines and outcomes
to inform price setting. There are signs of increasing policy focus on outcomes to
inform price setting. These efforts could bring about system-wide effects of using
evidence along with a patient-centred focus to improve health care delivery and performance
in the long-run.
Published on June 29, 2016
In series:OECD Health Policy Studiesview more titles