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Competition, quality and efficiency in primary health care (completed)

The general practitioner plays a central role in primary health care for people in Norway. A key question is to what extent a GP’s behaviour is influenced by economic incentives, and how this affect the amount and quality of the services.

If the general physician's behavior is influenced by economic incentives, it may mean that economic conditions may affect the service volume and quality, and the extent to which community resources are utilized efficiently in front-line services. Foto: colourbox.

About the project

The general practitioner (GP) has an important role in providing primary health care services in Norway. If economic incentives affect the GP, the payment system in this market may affect efficiency as well as the quantity and quality of the services provided. In order to implement a payment system that leads to outcomes that are close to optimal, we need knowledge about these effects. The aim of this project is to gain such knowledge.

Objectives

One of the main goals is to get more theoretical and empirical knowledge, both about the characteristics of the market for GP services and the relationship between general practice and the other parts of the health service. One issue is whether GPs who experience a shortage of patients, are more inclined to undertake other medical tasks in primary care.

One other issue is whether competition for patients will promote the medical quality of GP service.