Financial incentives that topped $200 000 helped community health centers in New York City boost both the number of smokers identified and total smoking cessation interventions provided.

The study was conducted at 19 health centers from 2010 through 2012 with a goal of incorporating screening for smoking and advice on quitting into routine patient visits. Health care professionals participating in the initiative also were required to document patients’ smoking status and interventions in an electronic health record (EHR).

With a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health eQuits program targeted health centers with a high percentage of Medicaid patients, who tend to have higher smoking rates than the general population. The centers received a $20 payment for each cessation intervention, which could include physician counseling, prescriptions for cessation medications, or referrals to the New York State quit line (Seither R et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2014;63[41]:921-924). The total cost of the incentives was $220 000.