Time to pay for quality. CMS will partner with premier in trial project to give financial bonuses to hospitals that deliver the best care.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is poised to announce a new pilot program in which it will partner with healthcare alliance Premier to reward top performing hospitals with recognition and, more importantly, added dollars. Though a relatively risk-free step for the nation's largest payer, it marks a seminal moment for the burgeoning paying-for-quality movement in healthcare.