As a physician, I enjoy listening to nonphysicians tell me how to motivate doctors. I don’t mean this in a totally snarky way (well, maybe just a little). These conversations often highlight the chasm that exists between physicians and administration.

What’s the most common motivator people throw out there? Money. Certainly everyone wants to make more money, I don’t refute that. What I take issue with is the notion that the only way hospitals can get docs to cooperate is to offer them financial incentives. This asserts that the underlying reason we do what we do is a fat paycheck, not our patients’ well-being.

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