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The Effect of Financial Incentives on Utilization of Low-cost Providers

NCT02249156 · Status: WITHDRAWN · Type: OBSERVATIONAL

Last updated 2019-07-16

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Several employers in the US have introduced a program where their employees receive a financial incentive to receive lower cost care. Under this "Rewards" program, patients are free to choose providers but if they visit a pre-determined low-cost laboratory or radiology facility (called a "rewards provider"), they receive a financial incentive. The financial incentive is typically in the form of a Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution. The dollar amount varies by employer. This study will use medical claims data to examine if this program leads to an increase in the volume of services performed by low-cost providers and decreased health care spending.

Conditions

  • Receipt of Radiology Studies
  • Receipt of Laboratory Tests

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Financial incentive for choosing a lower-cost provider

Employees of the intervention group receive money (either as a payment to their health savings account or directly as a check) if they obtain a radiology test or laboratory test from what a low-cost or rewards provider. The amount of money per test varies by the employer and type of test. A provider is identified as low-cost or rewards if their costs are in the lowest 10-20% among all providers in the community. Again there is a range because the relative cutoff has varied across the employers that have implemented this program.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Eligibility

Min Age
1 Year
Max Age
99 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2014-08-31
Primary Completion
2017-12-31
Completion
2018-03-31

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Entities

Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02249156 on ClinicalTrials.gov