INFORMATION, INCENTIVES AND PRACTICE PATTERNS: THE CASE OF TB DOTS SERVICES AND PRIVATE PHYSICIANS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Abstract

To explain divergent physician practices, studies focus on either differences in education and training or in financial incentives. The policy challenge is to identify the most cost-effective interventions to encourage adherence to practice guidelines. Utilizing private physician data in major cities in the Philippines, we show the effects of training and financial incentives in physician adoption of the TB DOTS protocol. Training seems to be more important when the new protocol is a significant departure from the old know-how, while financial incentives seem to work better on those who are already clinically competent. These imply that uniform application of information-based and incentive-based interventions may not be cost-effective.