The Student Room Group

Should GP's be paid an incentive to diagonise patients for specific conditions?

What do people think? GP'S will now be paid £55 for each patient they diagonise with dementia? Isn't there job to do this anyway???:confused: Why should they get an incentive? What other incentives are they paid? I don't agree with this route in medicine. What do you guys think?
Reply 1
It will encourage misdiagnosis.
Too many people were being left undiagnosed, surely it is better to be misdiagnosed then tests show your fine than not be diagnosed at all and have diseases getting far worse
Reply 3
Original post by Simonthegreat
What do people think? GP'S will now be paid £55 for each patient they diagonise with dementia? Isn't there job to do this anyway???:confused: Why should they get an incentive? What other incentives are they paid? I don't agree with this route in medicine. What do you guys think?


Next GP's will be no different than webmd, every time you'll go you'll find out you have some horrible disease you haven't heard of before.
Original post by mjohnson29
Too many people were being left undiagnosed, surely it is better to be misdiagnosed then tests show your fine than not be diagnosed at all and have diseases getting far worse


The issue for me is that they should be doing this as a matter of course and not be paid extra for this. This extra money should be used towards dementia patients treatment and care and not paying the gp twice for the something that is essentially part of their duty and job.
I disagree with this. The whole point of a GP is to diagnose patients, we shouldn't incentivise certain diagnoses as it'll become a tickbox thing, every elderly person will be referred with suspected dementia wasting specialist's time and NHS resources.
Original post by Simonthegreat
The issue for me is that they should be doing this as a matter of course and not be paid extra for this. This extra money should be used towards dementia patients treatment and care and not paying the gp twice for the something that is essentially part of their duty and job.

Yeah no I understand and I agree they shouldn't be paid more for it, in the short term it will decrease undiagnosed dementia cases though but it does set a dangerous precedent in the long term.
Welcome to Theoretical Surgery. If you consider yourself elderly, please note that you have been automatically diagnosed with Dementia. If this applies to you, please queue on the right hand side of the room to collect a slip and sign the document confirming that you have been diagnosed and allow the GPs to claim £55


#Cynicism
(edited 9 years ago)
This was done in the 1960s by dentists, they were paid a premium on extracted teeth.

So they whipped out healthy teeth and replaced them with dentures.

No they bloody well should not be paid extra. This money should go to the sufferers and carers of NHS clients. Doctors should do thier jobs and correctly diagnose people.

NOT do it to gain what is essentially a call centre sales bonus
Original post by Simonthegreat
The issue for me is that they should be doing this as a matter of course and not be paid extra for this. This extra money should be used towards dementia patients treatment and care and not paying the gp twice for the something that is essentially part of their duty and job.



Thanks to whoever gave me a rep. Glad to receive it. :smile:
Reply 10
Is this real? :s-smilie: Surely if there's a lack of diagnosis then you want to train GPs to be able to spot symptoms and hence make the diagnosis rather than get them to gamble on making the diagnosis on the chance they'll get some extra cash?
There should be no incentives since it's doctors job and responsibility to properly carry out the diagnosis.
Reply 12
Original post by mjohnson29
Too many people were being left undiagnosed, surely it is better to be misdiagnosed then tests show your fine than not be diagnosed at all and have diseases getting far worse

Then there is no point doing the original fake diagnosis and instead assume everyone has it, then do the tests routinely.

Telling people they have a debilitating fatal disease causes stress, illness, poor life decisions and suicides. Telling them this when you know it may be false is unethical, immoral and downright cruel.

How would you like to be erroneously told you have cancer just so the GP can pay for a meal out at the taxpayer's expense?
This is obscene and a moral minefield.

Doctors should be doing their jobs properly regardless - I don't see how offering a "pay per diagnosis" scheme will do anything but cause panic for the many people who will obviously be put through needless testing and worry, thinking they may have dementia.
Original post by mjohnson29
Too many people were being left undiagnosed, surely it is better to be misdiagnosed then tests show your fine than not be diagnosed at all and have diseases getting far worse

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. This road has a "ACTHUNG MINEN!" sign , with a skull and crossbones and severed heads on spikes near the start.
Original post by ForgetMe
There should be no incentives since it's doctors job and responsibility to properly carry out the diagnosis.



Agree with you completely and my point is why pay them twice. What other incentives do they get as I have heard that for every flu jab they give they get an extra payment. Does anyone know what other extra payments they get?

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