JAMA Health Forum Study Finds Physicians Compensated for Volume, not Value

January 31, 2022

Despite a push by payers to move to value-based compensation, a new study shows that physicians are paid based largely on patient volume. The study, published in JAMA Health Forum, looked at payment structures across 22 health systems in 4 states and found that 70% of practices increased the pay of clinicians based on the amount of patients seen.

According to Hailey Mensik in a Healthcare Dive article, “While incentives based on clinical quality, cost, patient experience, and access to care also were commonly included in physician pay, those payments represented a small fraction of doctor’s total compensation and are “likely to only marginally affect physician behavior,” the study said.”