For the most part, physicians are stuck in a Marxian world of reimbursement: Pay is based upon the value of labor, whether measured in ASA units or wRVUs.
It’s a mistake to assign value on the basis of input (labor) when the real measure is in the value of the output, whether seen as cure, palliative relief, assurance or even . . . life.
At the national level, the talk is about controlling the “cost” of healthcare. Instead of lauding the effort, physicians should be advocating for the revisiting of the basic assumptions behind physician compensation — that means advocating for pay based on the value of the output. Certainly I understand that there’s only so much in anyone’s budget, individual, government program or private carrier, but perhaps the budget should no longer be balanced on the heads of physicians.
Obviously, this is not a post about controlling the “cost” of healthcare. It is a post about getting you what you are truly worth.
