Westerville, Ohio– A new study published in JAMA Health Forum has found that senior patients under the care of women primary care physicians (PCPs) in value-based care (VBC) models experience equal or improved clinical outcomes and reduced healthcare utilization compared to those managed by male PCPs. The research, supported by agilon health, also highlights a reversal of the gender pay gap in these alternative payment arrangements.
The peer-reviewed study analyzed claims and quality data from approximately 223,810 Medicare Advantage patients treated by nearly 900 physicians across 15 practice groups in seven states. Forty percent of the participating physicians were women. Researchers compared clinical results, patient utilization patterns, and revenue between male and female PCPs working within the same organizations and using agilon’s Total Care Model, a physician-led approach to VBC.
According to the findings, patients treated by women PCPs were more likely to have better management of hemoglobin A1C levels and receive recommended eye exams if they had diabetes. Blood pressure control and statin adherence rates were similar between patients of male and female physicians. Women doctors also earned higher Stars quality scores on average, although they received slightly lower provider ratings from patients.
Healthcare utilization patterns also varied. While the number of primary care visits was consistent across genders, patients of women physicians had notably fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Financially, women PCPs in the VBC model earned more revenue per patient than their male colleagues within the same practice groups. Under the traditional fee-for-service (FFS) model, revenue per patient was similar between genders.
Dr. Ishani Ganguli of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, one of the study’s authors, noted that the reversal of the gender pay gap in VBC models may reflect how these arrangements reward care approaches commonly used by women physicians, such as longer face-to-face interactions with patients.
Dr. Victoria DiGennaro, a practicing physician at Pioneer Physicians Network in Akron, Ohio, and another study contributor, emphasized that the VBC structure allows for deeper patient-physician relationships and greater recognition of the work that goes into improving patient outcomes. She credited the partnership with agilon health and its Total Care Model for enabling those changes.
agilon’s Total Care Model reorients physicians from fee-for-service to a long-term, outcomes-focused care relationship using the same patients and payors. The model supports high-quality care through a comprehensive platform and a national Physician Network, which includes a Women Physician Leadership Council aimed at supporting female doctors in achieving clinical excellence while maintaining work-life balance.
The study included 872 primary care physicians, 352 of whom were women, operating in seven states: Ohio, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Michigan. While the findings show promising benefits of the VBC model, the authors acknowledged limitations, including the inability to track how each practice distributed payments and the fact that Medicare Advantage patients represent only a portion of most doctors’ overall patient populations. Still, by comparing physicians within the same groups, the study minimized several potential biases.
The research offers fresh insight into how value-based care can not only improve outcomes for patients but also promote greater equity in compensation and recognition among healthcare providers.
