In April and May, ECG hosted a series of roundtable discussions regarding COVID-19 and its impact on provider compensation. These moderator-led conversations between health systems and medical groups across the US were focused on the pandemic’s initial impact on provider productivity, organizational reactions to compensation, and future projections and concerns. The participants ranged from single-hospital systems to multistate medical groups to large national health systems. Below is a summary of the primary takeaways and responses.
Finding #1
Provider productivity was substantially affected across all of the organizations that participated in these discussions, regardless of where the organizations were located throughout the country.
All organizations agreed that specialty volumes were impacted on a much larger scale than were nonspecialty volumes.
Finding #2
Most organizations that are making changes or adjustments to compensation had a large portion of their providers on production-based models. As a result, many organizations are maintaining historical compensation in a “wait and see” approach, with plans to reassess after volumes start to return.
Finding #3
Most organizations do not expect volumes to return to normal until at least the fall of 2020. These projections for a slower uptick in volume were based largely on the new patient-volume regulations and the escalating unemployment and underinsured rates.
Finding #4
Every organization experienced an uptick in telehealth visits, with most organizations noting that these visits accounted for 30% to 40% of all visits in April and May. Participants agreed that telehealth would continue to be a focus going forward, regardless of when volume returns to historical levels.
Published June 1, 2020