WHO Study Highlights Payment Reforms to Improve Global Healthcare Quality

A WHO-OECD research project analyzes how performance-based payment systems from four nations boost healthcare standards when treating chronic diseases.

The WHO Centre for Health Development (WKC) together with OECD researchers discovered that 42% of non-communicable disease (NCD) adults lose their lives early because of substandard healthcare services. The study examines how payments directed to service quality and patient results can enhance healthcare outcomes.

The International Journal of Health Planning and Management feature the article Purchasing Primary Care Services for Quality Chronic Care which analyzes health payment structures in China as well as Chile and Indonesia and South Africa. The method utilizes fixed payments which providers get together with performance-based bonus systems related to health service quality.

Research findings demonstrated that healthcare systems received financial incentives together with training but this combination failed to create substantial changes in provider action. Studies demanded changes to quality measurement methods which consider patient risk levels to face both efficiency and fairness challenges.

The experts recommend quality targets should increase at a pace suitable for providers instead of using punishment-based payment reductions because they could slow down improvement efforts. The findings validate proper financing structures as well as modernized delivery approaches because older populations are growing in numbers.

This research by WKC contributes to their ongoing investigations about healthcare purchasing systems to enhance chronic disease care while promoting worldwide Universal Health Coverage.