The COVID-19 pandemic has added complexity to the physician compensation climate, according to a July 11 blog post from the American Medical Association.
Three key trends:
1. The federal government is pushing toward value-based care, the post said. Private physician practices are looking for ways to implement value-based care to remain profitable.
2. Private practice physicians are frustrated with payer policies that increase the use of prior authorizations, particularly automatic denials.
3. Private practice physicians are unsettled by not knowing whether they'll be reimbursed for telehealth, the post said. Medicare payment is dependent on temporary emergency authorization, making it hard to rely on telehealth as sustainable compensation, the blog post said.