MGMA members described capping Medicare Advantage contracts and favoring commercial patients, while one Texas practice leader reluctantly called Medicare her best payer.
News|Videos|October 5, 2026
Are new doctors avoiding value-based care due to lack of exposure to it?
Author(s)Todd Shryock
Fact checked by: Chris Mazzolini
Many new doctors have limited exposure to value-based care, but once they see it in action, their interest level increases
Advertisement
Medical students and residents are finishing training with more debt than ever, and that financial pressure is increasingly shaping where they choose to practice. Hospital-affiliated positions offering tuition repayment or loan-forgiveness support can be hard to pass up, even for young physicians who are drawn to other models of care.
That's a particular concern for value-based care. Many trainees become interested in VBC once they encounter it, yet most graduate with little or no formal exposure to the model. When early-career decisions are driven as much by economics as by clinical interests or care delivery philosophy, the pipeline of physicians prepared to practice in value-based settings could narrow.
Medical Economics spoke with Corey Perdue, market president, Mid-Atlantic, Privia Health to discuss the economic realities facing new physicians, why VBC remains largely absent from medical training and how today's financial incentives could shape the future of value-based care.
Advertisement
Related to this article
Behavioral health has historically taken a back seat to physical health in primary care. That approach is shifting, as growing evidence underscores the importance of whole-person well-being in improving patient outcomes, strengthening care coordination and advancing value-based care.
EBRI data show employer plans pay hospital outpatient departments about twice what physician offices receive for the same physician-administered drugs, and the commercial market has barely begun to address the gap.
Why physicians owe tax on their share of practice profit rather than the cash they take out, and how entity type, footnotes and late K-1s can change the final bill.
From a same-day payment cut to AI-run prior authorization in traditional Medicare, MGMA's government affairs team laid out what Washington has in store for physicians next year.
At an MGMA Government Affairs town hall, attendees raised extrapolated audits, employer plans beyond state reach and denials with no reason codes.
Start with a spreadsheet, add curiosity and communication, and make a real difference to practice income.
No U.S. state scores even 2 out of 5 on patient sentiment about billing
Advertisement
Advertisement
Trending on Medical Economics
1
The 10 biggest federal policy threats facing physicians in 2027
2
Six physician groups push back on claims that AI is better informed than doctors
3
When a negative review becomes defamation, with Michael Pelagalli of Minc Law
4
What AI vendor contracts and AI scribe consent mean for physicians' legal risk
5