Provider Incentives Increase use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception in the UK

A pay for performance scheme in the United Kingdom seeks to increase women’s awareness of and access to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) methods such as injections and intrauterine devices. Women in the UK use LARC methods at a five percent lower rate than the global average in part because of the common misconception that pills are the safest contraceptive method. The pay for performance program ties general practitioners (GPs) income to targeted health goals to incentivize them to provide information on LARCs to patience interested in contraception. A recently published study  found that the program increased the uptake of LARCs by four percent and decrease the use of pills at a corresponding rate indicating that LARCs are starting to be viewed as a replacement for the pill. The UK pay for performance program suggests that provider incentives may help correct misinformation and myths around contraceptive methods and could possibly be adapted in other contexts.