Medical Doctors’ Attitudes towards Pay-For-Reporting in Macedonia: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey. Maced J Med Sci. 2012 Dec 15; 5(4):437-443

Abstract

Objective: To determine medical doctors' attitudes towards the implementation of the new pay-forreporting system in the public hospital sector.Data Source: An electronic survey was conducted among 303 medical doctors in the Republic of Macedonia using the database of Healthgrouper.com, an online provider of information for healthcare providers.Principal Findings: Majority (61.9%) of all surveyed doctors are against the proposed pay-for-reporting (P4R) reform. Disapproval is much higher among the doctors employed at the public hospitals where 79% consider that pay-for-reporting project has to be abandoned. Doctors are against the proposed P4R system that only measures quantity of the work. According to majority of the doctors current model is subjective; it opens possibilities for bias and missconduct, and puts the clinical teamwork at jeopardy. Conclusions:Massive support against the implemented P4R reform was expressed by the Macedonian doctors employed in the public sector. The model should integrate parameters such as quality and complexity of delivered services to patients. Better integration and engagement of doctors is essential to assure support and smooth implementation of P4R reform as sound policy in practice. The Ministry of Health should set key parameters to be monitored by hospitals to evaluate the success of the P4R system.