California Blues Plan Adds EHR Incentive Boost

Blue Shield of California will make $24.8 million in bonuses available to medical groups and independent practice associations (IPA) in California. Providers will be awarded based on their performance in clinical care, patient experience and use of information technology.

This year, Blue Shield will reward $13 million under the Integrated Healthcare Association's pay-for-performance model, which uses measurements such as clinical care, coordinated diabetes care, patient experience, and health information technology adoption. Another $7 million will be awarded through Blue Shield's Performance Improvement Rewards Program, which focuses on effectively managing emergency room visits, outpatient surgeries, inpatient bed days, and generic drug utilization. The remaining $4.8 million will be awarded for shared savings and other incentive programs.

Since 2003, Blue Shield has awarded more than $92 million to providers through its pay-for-performance program. Blue Shield of California is a not-for-profit health plan with 3.5 million members.

This story was reprinted with permission from Health Data Management.