Posted by: Jonena Relth, TBD Consulting, Inc.
In discussions where we, members of the Society for Participatory Medicine, were looking for information relevant for current conferences, one of our members ran across a very interesting article which ran in the Star Tribune entitled, "Doctors' pay plan is cutting edge."
Access to the online article is limited to paid subscribers, but the gist is that Fairview Clinics in Minnesota are making history here. They have devised an unconventional plan to pay their physicians' income based on external ratings, including patient satisfaction surveys and quality-of-care scores. The docs will no longer be paid for services, but rather paid to "keep" patients happy, healthy and out of the hospital.
Drawing national attention, it appears that Fairview's plan attributes about 20 percent of a doctors' pay for actual face-to-face encounters with patients. Their pay is also based on the docs getting credit for communicating with patients by email, phone, video conference and other alternatives. Wow, let's hear it for a great example of a healthcare organization promoting participatory medicine!
Some quotes from the article:
"It's a very big mindset shift for physicians," said Dr. Greg Schoen, the Director of Physician Compensation at Fairview.
"It is pretty cutting edge," said Harold Miller, head of the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, a think tank in Pittsburgh. The whole industry is talking about the need to transform doctor pay, he said. But unlike Fairview, few have made any dramatic changes. "They're clearly among the first."
"We stopped paying them by counting what they did," said Dr. Dave Moen, president of Fairview Physician Associates, who helped oversee the change. "What we're doing is really a microcosm of what needs to be done across the country. ...It's a work in progress. There's grumbling all over, but it's healthy grumbling in my view. ...What we're trying to do is be responsive and understanding."
"People want to think that it's all about pay," said Moen. "The reality is, this is affecting the way care is delivered."
Fairview is watching the feedback closely. Reports show that there has been negative and positive feedback; but by the numbers, the quality scores at the clinics are rising. One thing I found especially interesting: Contrary to what many worried about, as a group, family physicians' pay has increased, not decreased, since the new pay plan was introduced.
Related Article on Participatory Care:
The pay plan is a blessed and much needed change in the health care system. Dr. are the ones who dedicate their lives helping others, and they should be rewarded for it!
Posted by: Blood Testing Locations | 11/24/2011 at 12:33 AM