Disclaimer: Moving Health Care Upstream is a collaborative effort co-led by Nemours Children’s Health System (Nemours) and the Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities at the University of California- Los Angeles (UCLA). The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Nemours, UCLA or the Moving Health Care Upstream initiative.

In health care and in life, we need to match incentives and expectations. When I was younger, one of my chores was to help empty the dishwasher – I was responsible for the bottom and my sister for the top. The chore was not complete – and the allowance was not received – until both of us completed our parts. It was actually pretty ingenious on my parents’ part; I learned it is not only important to complete my key function of emptying the bottom rack, but also that it made sense to support my sister in completing her key function because it led to a better outcome for both of us. [Read more…]