Promoting Use of Patient-Centered Health IT: Assessment and Ranking of Incentive Mechanisms

The health care domain is undergoing a sweeping shift from a model of paternalism towards increased patient-centered care. Vendors offering patient-centered health IT use incentive mechanisms to motivate the continued use of health IT. However, incentive mechanisms may not always be beneficial to patient-centered care and may lack focus on actual treatment processes. Therefore, we focus on the research question: What incentive mechanisms are or are not useful for promoting use of patient-centered health IT and why? We assess and rank 28 incentive mechanisms by utility for patient-centered health IT. Findings reveal that reminders and interface improvements are most beneficial and that social comparison and social facilitation mechanisms are most detrimental to patient-centered care. This work extends the scientific knowledge base on patient-centered health IT, establishes a foundation for future research on patient-centered incentive mechanisms, and provides practical audiences with insights on how to effectively design patient-centered health IT.