Patients, Quality Metrics Playing More of a Role in Physician Pay

Quality and patient satisfaction metrics are playing a small yet growing role in physician compensation. That's according to the recently released Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2013 Report Based on 2012 Data, which provides data on more than 60,000 providers.

Primary-care physicians reported that 3 percent of their total compensation was based upon measures of quality, while specialists reported that 2 percent of their total compensation was based on such metrics. Survey respondents also said patient satisfaction played a small role in their compensation.

“Quality and patient satisfaction metrics are not yet dominant components of physician compensation plans right now, however, as reimbursement models continue to shift, the small changes we’ve observed recently will gain momentum,” Susan L. Turney, MGMA-ACMPE president and CEO said in a statement regarding the survey's findings. “It’s encouraging to see physician practices invested in patient-centered care and continuing to seek ways to better incorporate quality and experience into compensation methodologies.”

Do you believe that physician pay should be more closely aligned with quality measures? What about patient satisfaction scores? Why or why not?

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