Assessing the impact of payment method and practice setting on German physicians' practice patterns.
This project determined the impact that a physician's practice setting and reimbursement method has on his or her practice behavior. Multivariate regressions that controlled for physician, patient, and practice characteristics were conducted. The primary data source was a questionnaire that sampled ambulatory physicians practicing in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. This research demonstrated that physicians paid on a fee-for-service basis differ significantly from practitioners paid a salary in captured utilization measures: more patient visits per week, including more follow-up visits; a decreased rate of hospitalization; and an increased likelihood of making house calls. A group practice setting demonstrated little impact when compared with a solo practice.
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D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006760:Hospitalization; D006792:House Calls; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017146:Models, Organizational; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010343:Patient Admission; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000145:classification*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms / Q000145:classification*