Key Findings
- Roughly half of the public and doctors agree that reforming the way doctors are paid is an important step to improve the health care system.
- More than 80 percent of the doctors say current pay for doctors is based primarily on the quantity of services they provide.
- Only 20 percent of the public and 11 percent of the doctors say most doctors are paid primarily based on the quality of care they provide.
Observations
- These findings indicate that majorities of the public and doctors surveyed say current payment is based on volume and view payment reform as an important step to improving health care.
- Given that the survey was fielded in the aftermath of intense health care reform debates, it will be interesting to continue to track these public and provider perceptions.
