Becker's ASC Review

48 HEALTHCARE NEWS 48 How physicians really feel about the incentive bonus system: 10 notes By Claire Wallace e average physician bonus in 2022 was around 15 percent of their yearly salary according to an August report from Medscape. In a Medscape survey of 845 physicians, about half reported receiving an incentive bonus at the end of the year. Ten notes on the physician incentive bonus system: 1. Forty-nine percent of physicians received an incentive bonus at the end of the year. 2. irty-four percent of physicians' bonuses were under $25,000. 3. e largest number of physicians (29 percent) said that their bonus metrics were somewhat difficult or very difficult to meet. 4. irty-nine percent of physicians believe their incentive bonus is at risk when they do not meet their metrics. 5. Forty-nine percent of physicians think that incentive bonuses are positive. 6. Forty-seven percent of physicians think that bonuses make physicians more productive. 7. e majority of physicians (75 percent) think that bonuses should be phased out in favor of higher salaries. 8. e majority of physicians (72 percent) think that bonuses can sometimes lead to patient consequences, like higher costs and unnecessary testing. 9. e majority of physicians (70 percent) think that bonuses do not result in better patient care. 10. A plurality of physicians (28 percent) think that quality of care is the top metric that should be tied to bonuses. n Physician shortages: Appointment wait times average nearly 4 weeks in large cities By Alan Condon T he time it takes to schedule a new patient physician appointment in 15 major metropolitan areas increased by 8 percent since 2017 and by 24 percent from 2004, according to Merritt Hawkins' 2022 "Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times and Medicare and Medicaid Acceptance Rates." The survey suggests that it takes an average of 26 days to schedule a new patient physician appointment in 15 of the largest U.S. cities, up from 24.1 days in 2017 and up from 21 days in 2004. "Physician appointment wait times are the longest they have been since we began conducting the survey," Tom Florence, president of Merritt Hawkins, AMN Healthcare's physician search division, said in a Sept. 12 news release. "Longer physician appointment wait times are a significant indicator that the nation is experiencing a growing shortage of physicians." The survey includes data from 1,034 physician offices in 15 metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minnesota, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, D.C. n Physicians see spike in misbehavior, report says By Patsy Newitt F orty-one percent of physicians have seen other physicians behave inappropriately in the workplace in 2022 compared to 35 percent in 2021, according to Medscape's 2022 report "Physicians Behaving Badly." Medscape surveyed more than 1,500 physicians about physician misbehavior and what they've experienced in recent years. Examples of inappropriate behavior in the report included unprofessional or disrespectful behavior toward patients or colleagues, disregard for patient privacy, angry or aggressive acts and lawbreaking. Here are three more stats: 1. Thirty percent of physicians have seen other physicians behave inappropriately on social media, compared to 26 percent in 2021. 2. Twenty-six percent of physicians have seen other physicians perform inappropriately outside of the workplace, the same percentage as 2021. 3. Thirty-eight percent of physicians have not seen other physicians behave inappropriately, compared to 44 percent in 202. n

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