AMA Hits Health Group Incentives to Limit Care

Health plans that give doctors financial incentives to limit care can be “harassing, intimidating and deceptive” and may reduce the quality of patients’ treatment, the American Medical Assn. said Tuesday.

In a strongly worded report on so-called managed-care plans, the AMA said the plans unavoidably put doctors into ethical conflicts.

“Plans typically employ incentives for physicians to limit their use of diagnostic tests, referrals to other physicians, hospital care or other ancillary services,” said the report, which was adopted by AMA members at their annual meeting.

The plans establish programs to aggressively review doctors’ practices for evidence of what they consider unwise expenditures.

An industry representative disputed the report’s stance.

“The AMA report implies that our plans are using very simple kinds of strategies . . . designed to hamstring or constrain physicians from providing quality health care,” said Karen Ignagni, president of the Group Healthcare Assn. of America. “That couldn’t be further from the truth.”