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Susannah Hendricks is still rattled by the call. It came out of the blue and the for-profit company on the other end seemed to have access to her private health information.

The caller from DoctorCare Inc. urged her to attend a session with a dietician, suggesting she had risk factors for diabetes and high cholesterol.

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It turns out the firm has carved out a surprising business niche, working for physicians, contacting their patients and taking a cut of the hundreds of millions of dollars in incentive payments the Ontario government offers doctors to encourage various types of preventive health care.

DoctorCare’s business marks a novel avenue for private involvement in the health-care system, and resurrects questions about the “pay for performance” bonuses several provinces have introduced in recent years.

Do the patients know their information is being shared

Despite seeming like an innovative, market-oriented way to trigger more holistic care, studies in Canada and elsewhere have found little evidence the payments actually improve service.