A Groundbreaking Insight Into Primary Care Physiotherapists' Remuneration.

Abstract

Introduction Physiotherapy in Greece, as part of primary health care (PHC), faces sound imbalances: reduced quality, productivity, and efficiency, along with rather inflexible remuneration schemes. This study is aimed at reporting the attitude and perceptions of Greek PHC physiotherapists towardtheir current remuneration and also at identifying any other preferable remuneration schemes. Methods A stratified proportional sampling study was undertaken, using an anonymous, electronic survey. The participants were 250 self-employed physiotherapists running their business in Central and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, being also contracted with the National Organisation for Healthcare Provision (EOPYY). The sample size stands for 34% of the population with a circa 5% margin of error. Results Nearly 9/10 physiotherapists (84%) underline that remuneration falls short of their productivity, leading to reduced job satisfaction. Moreover, their remuneration does not motivate them to provide services of higher quality (46%), while 58% of them stated that they are forced to claim informal fees. There is no clear desire regarding the remuneration scheme, but nearly ¼ of physiotherapists revealed their preference for the cost-per-case philosophy combined with co-payments. Conclusion The majority of physiotherapists believe that their current remuneration does not reflect their productivity nor the quality of their services and, therefore, informal payments arise. The preference of physiotherapists lies between cost-per-case fees and patient co-payments, which, however, favors supplier-induced demand and access inequalities, respectively. Hence, policymakers should revise the current remuneration scheme and overcome its deficiencies without creating new ones.