Cash bonuses for doctors in the Comunidad Valenciana. What's your view?

Doctors in the Comunidad Valenciana who hand out fewer prescriptions and send patients for fewer tests in hospital will earn bonuses from now on. A private consultancy firm has been outsourced to calculate the average number of necessary prescriptions and tests, so that GP's who keep costs below average will be rewarded with cash bonuses and if the overall cost is below average and generates a saving the consultancy firm will get a cut too. I wonder who is behind the consultancy firm. It seems to me to be a potentially dangerous measure as doctors who may not have such strong ethics may be incentivised to hold back tests or prescriptions to meet targets. Can we play with averages and bonuses when we are talking about health? 

 Oh I do think that is very risky. The last thing we need are doctors who are going to be motivated by cash rather than looking for the best benefits of the patient. One would hope that they would be imparcial in their decision to book a test or not or give a prescription or not, but surely this will be impossible when cash is involved and maybe they'll start taking more risks. Doesn't sound very healthy to me.

There must be somehting similar in UK, on my last visit to the Dr she said  'That's 3 things, I can deal with 2 today, you choose'  I was speechless, just hoping the 3rd thing I left out isn't a killer..............

 Yes well, just another cash scheme to divert public funds. Now the construction business is over they've got to come up with new ideas to divert money and earn commissions. Bet the the private company involved has close ties with the regional government leaders.The health budget is one of the largest so someone along the way will be filling his/her pockets as they keep diving into the public funds. What a stupid scheme, it's asking for trouble. I don't know what they do in the UK, but I am sure it is more controlled there. Here it would be controlled by those who came up with the idea!

Hello,just to add to this thread.

Bonuses for doctors can be not only from private sources.  I live in Norway and the health system is government controlled. I think  that doctors receive some bonuses here also as they avoid to send you to specialists and  tests while many medicines just  not available here. For example, after many episodes of sharp back  pain I was not send to MR and the diagnosis (slipped disc) was made during my stay in another country.  

Very common in the north problems of muscular and bone pains are mostly treated with pain killers.