ArticleCMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne2017
Effectiveness of a financial incentive to physicians for timely follow-up after hospital discharge: a population-based time series analysis.
Article in CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Associations Between Early Physician Follow-up and Post-discharge Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Use of interrupted time series methods in the evaluation of health system quality improvement interventions: a methodological systematic review.BMJ global health · 2020Pooled it
- The effectiveness of financial intervention strategies for reducing caesarean section rates: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2019Pooled it
- Trial
- The impact of timely community health services contact following hospital discharge on subsequent hospital use in England: retrospective observational study.BMC medicine · 2026Observational
- Virtual Care Remuneration Policy and Postdischarge Follow-Up Trends.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Hospital Readmissions Among Persons With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the United States and Canada, 2005-2018: A Collaboration of Cohort Studies.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2023Article
- Evolution of a Project to Improve Inpatient-to-Outpatient Dermatology Care Transitions: Mixed Methods Evaluation.JMIR dermatology · 2023Article
- "A Band-Aid Solution": Policy Maker and Primary Care Provider Perspectives on the Value of Attachment Incentives.Healthcare policy = Politiques de sante · 2023Article
- Impact of Ontario's Harmonized Heat Warning and Information System on emergency department visits for heat-related illness in Ontario, Canada: a population-based time series analysis.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2022Article
- Physician Financial Incentives to Reduce Unplanned Hospital Readmissions: an Interrupted Time Series Analysis.Journal of general internal medicine · 2021Observational
- Implementation, spread and impact of the Patient Oriented Discharge Summary (PODS) across Ontario hospitals: a mixed methods evaluation.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Is the evidence on the effectiveness of pay for performance schemes in healthcare changing? Evidence from a meta-regression analysis.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Article
- Early Follow-up After Colorectal Surgery Reduces Postdischarge Emergency Department Visits.Diseases of the colon and rectum · 2020Article
- Article
- Insights in Public Health: Community Health Workers Are the Future of Health Care: How Can We Fund These Positions?Hawai'i journal of health & social welfare · 2019Article
- 30-Day Potentially Preventable Hospital Readmissions In Older Patients: Clinical Phenotype And Health Care Related Risk Factors.Clinical interventions in aging · 2019Article
- Aligning innovations in health funding with innovations in care.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2018Article
- Financial incentives for physicians to improve health care.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2017Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTimely follow-up after hospital discharge may decrease readmission to hospital. Financial incentives to improve follow-up have been introduced in the United States and Canada, but it is unknown whether they are effective. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of an incentive program on timely physician follow-up after hospital discharge.
methodsWe conducted an interventional time series analysis of all medical and surgical patients who were discharged home from hospital between Apr. 1, 2002, and Jan. 30, 2015, in Ontario, Canada. The intervention was a supplemental billing code for physician follow-up within 14 days of discharge from hospital, introduced in 2006. The primary outcome was an outpatient visit within 14 days of discharge. Secondary outcomes were 7-day follow-up and a composite of emergency department visits, nonelective hospital readmission and death within 14 days.
resultsWe included 8 008 934 patient discharge records. The incentive code was claimed in 31% of eligible visits by 51% of eligible physicians, and cost $17.5 million over the study period. There was no change in the average monthly rate of outcomes in the year before the incentive was introduced compared with the year following introduction: 14-day follow-up (66.5% v. 67.0%, overall
interpretationDespite uptake by physicians, a financial incentive did not alter follow-up after hospital discharge. This lack of effect may be explained by features of the incentive or by extra-physician barriers to follow-up. These barriers should be considered by policymakers before introducing similar initiatives.
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