Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), a large commercial health insurer, is using financial incentives to advance equity of care by patient race and ethnicity. Understanding experiences of this payer and its contracted physician groups can inform efforts elsewhere. In this recently published paper, CHAMP members qualitatively assess physician groups’ barriers and facilitators of planning and implementing BCBSMA's financial incentives to improve equity of ambulatory care quality by patient race and ethnicity.
CHAMP members conducted key informant interviews (n = 44) of the physician group, BCBSMA, and external stakeholders, they observed equity initiative meetings and analyzed documents to identify barriers and facilitators of designing and preparing for financial incentives to advance racial equity. Physician group experiences of preparing for and responding to financial incentives for equity improvement were assessed.
Given the major infrastructure investments and organizational change management resources required of physician groups to participate in a financial incentive program designed to reward equity improvement, alignment of equity measurement and performance requirements across payers would facilitate physician groups’ engagement in efforts to improve quality of care for racial and ethnic minority patients.