Joseph Papin, MD, on Aligning Incentives Across Care Teams in Risk-Bearing Organizations
As healthcare continues its transition toward value-based care, risk-bearing organizations are under increasing pressure to deliver better outcomes while managing the total cost of care. Yet one of the most overlooked challenges in this transition is not technology or data; it is the alignment of incentives across care teams. According to Joseph Papin, MD , Principal at Suncoast Search Capital, sustainable success in risk-based models depends on whether clinicians, administrators, and care coordinators are working toward the same measurable goals. In traditional fee-for-service environments, incentives are often tied to volume: more visits, more procedures, more throughput. Risk-bearing models, including shared savings and capitation arrangements, shift the focus toward outcomes, efficiency, and patient experience. However, if internal incentives are not redesigned accordingly, organizations may struggle to translate new payment structures into meaningful operational change. The M...