Radiologists’ Pay Tied to Quality Metrics?

Quality measurements are playing a small yet growing role in physician compensation.

Specialists reported that 2 percent of their total compensation was based on quality metrics, 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. Meanwhile, primary-care physicians reported that 3 percent of their total compensation was based on quality. Survey respondents also said patient satisfaction played a small role in their compensation.

This number is sure to grow as healthcare reform encourages new payment models and a move away from fee-for-service. Accountable care organizations, for example, seek to tie reimbursement to quality metrics.

“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.

Should physician pay be more closely aligned with quality measures? Why or why not?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.