Bonuses questioned - Short Takes: News at Deadline - rewards for telephone workers at HMO call centers - Brief Article

Physician Executive, July-August, 2002 by James A. Hawkins

Should telephone clerks at HMO call centers be rewarded for finding ways to limit the number of doctors appointments they schedule for patients?

That question is being asked by a number of regulators and health groups after Kaiser Permanente revealed that it had such a plan in place from January 2000 to December 2001.

According to a company spokesman, the program was canceled after Kaiser determined that it was not helping the HMO serve its members better.

The program reportedly paid bonuses to phone operators who scheduled appointments for less than 35 percent of the callers and who spent less than an average of 3 minutes and 45 seconds on the phone with each HMO member

California's Department of Managed Health Care is investigating the bonus program according to Steven Fisher the department's deputy director.