Publications
Publications
- September 2003 (Revised January 2005)
- HBS Case Collection
Bridges to Excellence: Bringing Quality Health Care to Life
By: Richard M.J. Bohmer, Ingrid Marie Nembhard and Robert Galvin
Abstract
General Electric launched Bridges to Excellence Diabetes Care Link, a program through which enrolled physicians receive bonuses of up to 10% of their salary for delivering quality care to diabetic patients covered by a participating employer or health plan. A day later, the Wall Street Journal labeled the program a "bribe." The case explores this accusation and the assumption that purchasers and consumers must explicitly pay for quality in heath care. Also allows evaluation of a specific program from design (e.g., financial reward structure) to implementation (e.g., parties involved). The question of scalability arises, as does the criteria by which to judge success.
Keywords
Health Care and Treatment; Motivation and Incentives; Programs; Ethics; Quality; Moral Sensibility; Service Delivery; Compensation and Benefits; Health Industry
Citation
Bohmer, Richard M.J., Ingrid Marie Nembhard, and Robert Galvin. "Bridges to Excellence: Bringing Quality Health Care to Life." Harvard Business School Case 604-030, September 2003. (Revised January 2005.)