Published: 03/03/2005, Volume III, No. 5945 Page 3
Concern over the delayed rollout of payment by results is another topic on which medical and finance managers are proving to be united.
The decision to postpone the extension of payment by results to emergency and outpatients for non-foundation trusts in the face of a£1.5bn imbalance was greeted in most quarters by a sigh of relief.
But now a growing chorus of finance directors are complaining of the perverse incentives created by running a two-track system, with many warning of a negative impact on future planning and revenue (news, page 14).
Medical directors saw the guiding principle of payment by results - you get paid for what you do - as a way of achieving clarity when engaging clinicians on NHS reforms.
There is no easy answer here - just a timely warning that easing back on the pace of reform does not always make life easier.
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