Pay for Performance: Medicare is diving into its new "Pay for Performance" paradigm - with very expensive studies to see if doctors can ask patients basic questions:

Under the program, the federal government paid $130 each time a chemotherapy provider assessed a Medicare patient's pain, fatigue and nausea. The payments were designed to encourage doctors to report information that might one day lead to improved care for cancer patients.

...About 90 percent of eligible health care providers participated in the program. The median amount paid to each physician was $23,000. But some doctors got a lot more.

Wow. I've got to do a lot more than ask three questions to get $130 from Medicare.