Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
In the Norwegian capitation trial, the payment system for general practitioners (GPs) has been changed; a practice allowance component has been replaced by a capitation component and the fee‐per‐item component constitutes a smaller part of a GPs practice income than previously. From the theoretical modelling of GPs' referral decisions, we predict that the replacement of the practice allowance by a capitation component will increase the rate of referrals to specialists. This hypothesis is supported by an exploratory empirical study with data from a sample of GPs participating in the experiment. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.