Pay-for-performance programme in primary health care: analyzing performance and social participation in the Rio Grande do Norte State

Abstract

Introduction. Pay-for-performance or performance-based financing systems have been adopted worldwide in public health. Following the international trend, Brazil implemented in 2011 the National Program for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality (PMAQ). Originality/value. This study therefore addresses how the National Program for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality contributes to the exercise of social control in Brazilian municipalities as a tool for managing public health policy.Purpose. In this regard, the objective of this study outline connections between the performance of the health teams in the PMAQ and the participatory health councils, based on the experiences of councillors and managers from the three large municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.Research Design. The research included semi-structured interviews with members of participatory health councils and health managers, as well as the systematization of information collected in official documents and articles about PMAQ.Findings. It was concluded that the data collected on user satisfaction with public health services have a high potential to inform Municipal Health Councils in their role of quality control, which occurs in the three large municipalities of Rio Grande do Norte.

Performance assessment of primary health care facilities in Brazil: Concordance between web-based questionnaire and in-person interviews with health personnel

“…This choice is justified because the AE-PMAQ-AB assessment was part of PMAQ, an official program of the Brazilian government for assessing PHC facilities during the period analyzed in this study, and because its criteria, standards, and indicators reflected the technical and political proposals for PHC facilities [ 16 , 23 ]. That choice is also corroborated by the fact that PMAQ has nationwide reach and defines a "baseline" for PHC assessment in Brazil, which is confirmed by the multiple studies and assessments based on AE-PMAQ-AB data [ 14 , 24 – 27 ].…”