It's still early in the evolution of health care reimbursement from fee-for-service to more performance-based models.
But most practice executives don't like what they're seeing.
In its most recent survey of medical practice executives' satisfaction with payers, the Medical Group Management Association-American College of Medical Practice Executives (MGMA-ACMPE) said the majority of its members reported an unwillingness by major payers to offer what it called "innovative" payment models or new contracts based on such ideas as accountable care, shared savings, medical homes, or payment bundling.
Of the seven large payers included in the survey, Medicare Part B received the highest average rating, although even it didn't quite score high enough to be considered "moderately unwilling."
In cases where a payer was willing to offer innovative payment models, most respondents said they didn't believe the options were favorable to their practice.
Dr. Susan Turney, president and CEO of MGMA, said in a released statement that she understood that a financial revolution for health care providers would not be immediate.
"We welcome opportunities to engage with payers on new payment models and understand that the industry is still developing these options," Turney said. "It’s important for our members not to rush into new models if they aren’t beneficial for their patients and practices. Aligning the incentives for practices, patients, and payers will be key for these types of arrangements to be successful moving forward."
