Managed care and physician disability.

The number of disability claims by physicians has skyrocketed during the last decade. One of the primary reasons for this escalation is decreased job satisfaction brought about by managed care. Certain physician groups are more vulnerable to the stress of advanced managed care: solo practitioners, specialists and subspecialists, certain generalists, doctors with independent personalities, middle-aged or near-retirement physicians, impaired physicians, and those whose practices are almost solely contract driven. Based on analysis of physician disability claims, certain protective measures are recommended to relieve stress and promote survival in today's health care market.