Financial incentives and mortality: taking pay for performance a step too far.

Gupta K, Wachter RM, Kachalia A. BMJ Qual Saf. 2016 Feb 18; [Epub ahead of print].

Although financial incentives have been widely adopted, they may not lead to organizationalimprovements. This commentary raises concerns about including hospital mortality in incentive programs, since patient deaths do not necessarily mean poor quality care. The authors suggest that further research is needed to enhance accuracy of risk-adjusted mortality and to account for differences in patient treatment preferences.