Physicians' acceptance of an alternative to fee-for-service payment: a possible source of change in Quebec medicine

This article reports on a survey conducted on a sample of Quebec physicians at the end of 1981. The objective of the study was to assess the acceptance by physicians of a possible change in their current mode of remuneration and to identify the consequences of such a change on the physicians' practice and on the attainment of broader health care objectives. The results presented in this article seem to indicate that neither the present fee-for-service mode of payment nor a change to time-based remuneration can reconcile both professional and broader health care objectives. Implications of these findings for health policies are discussed.