Aligning incentives for value: The internal performance framework at Partners HealthCare

Abstract • Incentives that reward performance at the intersection of organizational priorities and physician motivations are well positioned to spur behavioral change and accomplish organizational goals. • Metrics associated with financial incentives should be limited to those that are clinically meaningful and easy to understand. • Health systems must support physicians in the journey to value-based care. Placing physicians at financial risk for controlling health costs and improving quality—without equipping them with the tools to do so—leads to frustration and disillusionment. • Incentives that reward all levels of performance between baseline and a specified goal are effective at engaging physicians and promoting improvement.