How to Increase Physician Engagement in Value Based Care: Deloitte Survey

By Clive Riddle, October 27, 2016

HHS, commercial health plans, states and health systems continue to advance value based care initiatives at a rapid and accelerating pace. But the question is, as the value based train is leaving the station, are the doctors on board?

Deloitte has released a report: Practicing Value-Based Care, which aims to answer the question “What do doctors need?” based on results from their Deloitte Center for Health Solutions 2016 Survey of U.S. Physicians.

The problem for physicians, Deloitte’s Mitch Morris tells us, is “today there is little incentive for them to change; many are still being paid under fee-for-service models and they're not equipped with tools that could help them deliver high-value care."

The Deloitte physician survey “found that while 3 in 4 physicians have clinical protocols, only 36 percent have access to comprehensive protocols (i.e., for many conditions). Also, only 20 percent of physicians receive data on care costs.”

Additionally, Deloitte findings from the survey indicate financial incentives haven’t changed enough: “Eighty-six percent of physicians reported being compensated under fee-for-service (FFS) or salary arrangements, similar to 2014. Showing no change from 2014, one-half of physicians reported performance bonuses less than or equal to 10 percent of their compensation, and one-third were ineligible for performance bonuses.”

Deloitte advocates that public and private stakeholders should partner with doctors to accomplish three things that would greatly enhance physician engagement:

1. Tie at least 20% of physician compensation to performance
2. Equip physicians with the right tools to help them meet performance goals including “clinical protocols, quality measures that align with their specialties and emphasize outcomes rather than processes of care, and detailed data on their own performance and on physicians to whom they refer patients.”
3. Invest in technology capabilities to connect and integrate the tools