Financial Incentives "Boost Patient Compliance"

30 September 1997

Financial incentives ranging from $5 to nearly $1,000 can result in anincrease in patient compliance with health care treatments, according to a new study reported in the British Medical Journal.

In 10 out of 11 US trials involving cash payments, patients' willingness to take medication or keep medical appointments increased when a financial reward was involved, according to the study's authors, Antonio Giuffrida and David Torgerson of the University of York. "This review shows that, even when free medical care is the alternative, the use of some form of financial inducement increases compliance," they say.

They also argue that financial incentives can be cost-effective "if substantial treatment benefits accrue not only to the patient but also to society at large; in economic parlance, if there are positive externalities to treatment." The report cites the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis as a good example in which cash payments can have a direct benefit to society.

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