Value-based payment models – Why physicians don’t participate

Fee-for-service payment “incentivizes the delivery of more services over better-quality care,” said a new study by The Commonwealth Fund.

As an alternative, value-based payment (VBP) models that focus on patient wellness seem like a great idea. So why don’t more primary care physicians participate in value-based care? Researchers Ann S. O’Malley, MD, MPH, Rumin Sarwar, MSPH, Cindy Alvarez, MPH, and Eugene C. Rich, MD, spoke with more than two dozen primary care practitioners to find out why.

“Despite the potential of these models to strengthen the primary care infrastructure and improve patient care, most primary care practices do not participate in them,” the study said. The main reasons: financial barriers, a workforce shortage for primary care physicians, and performance measures that need improvement.

This slideshow presents findings and some proposed ways to attract more physicians to value-based payment models. All research comes from “Why Primary Care Practitioners Aren’t Joining Value-Based Payment Models: Reasons and Potential Solutions,” published in July 2024 by The Commonwealth Fund.