Incentives Shape Outcomes in Healthcare

Perceptions of individual doctors as compassionate professionals can cloud the understanding of systemic flaws in healthcare. Despite good intentions, doctors are often embedded in a healthcare model with misaligned incentives that do not promote the best outcomes for patients. This model inevitably leads to a healthcare system that operates to meet the interests of stakeholders rather than focusing solely on patient welfare. The alignment of incentives fundamentally dictates the resulting structure and effectiveness of healthcare, reinforcing the notion that understanding incentive systems is crucial in evaluating healthcare outcomes.