New MGMA Survey: Gradual Shift Seen Towards Value-Based Payment of Physicians

A new nationwide survey of physicians in group practice has found a gradual, if not dramatic, shift towards value-based payment. On July 1, the Englewood, Colo.-based Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) released the results of a nationwide survey of physicians, finding that “Quality measures continue to be a small yet increasing percentage of total compensation for physicians.”

The survey, formally known as the MGMA “Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2014 Report Based on 2013 Data,” found that “Primary care physicians (who indicated that they were not part of an accountable care organization or a patient-centered medical home) reported that an average of 5.96 percent of their total compensation was based upon measures of quality. Specialists,” the report found, “reported that an average of 5.70 percent of their total compensation was tied to quality metrics. Some specialties, including anesthesiologists, internists and hospitalists, reported that a higher percentage of their total compensation was tied to quality metrics. MGMA surmised that physician compensation would increasingly be tied to these metrics as reimbursement aligned more closely with quality and cost measures,” the press release announcing the survey results noted.

In addition, the association noted, “Practices also reported that patient satisfaction played a small role in physician compensation Primary care physicians reported a slight increase in the percentage of compensation tied to patient satisfaction, and specialists reported that an average of 2.31 percent of their compensation was tied to patient satisfaction, compared to 1.61 percent reported in 2012.”