Do doctors get paid for referrals to specialists?

Back in the days of capitated care, there was pressure from HMOs to reduce the amount of referrals, as doctors were given a set fee to manage each patient. A referral meant a financial hit to the practice. read more

In addition, doctors whose practices are owned by a hospital, per se, might prefer to keep referrals internal since care is typically paid for on a fee-for-service basis. "You keep the fees inside the system," Sager says. read more

Specialists are better paid than primary care physicians, but they are also less autonomous because, unlike primary care physicians, they depend on other doctors for referrals. There is pressure on specialists to keep referral sources happy, especially in doctor-saturated metropolitan areas like New York City. read more