Most are frustrated with managed care, Dr. Lewers said. They are tired of the hassles, the decreased reimbursement, the loss of autonomy and prestige. One told me it is not fun anymore. Retiring is not the only way physicians are expressing their outrage. They are dropping HMO contracts, joining unions, filing lawsuits and moving from markets dominated by managed care.
Doctors retire due to age, disability or a desire to do something different.
But emerging evidence points to an increase in physicians retiring before age 60. An unpublished AMA study shows the average age of doctors who retired dropped to 67.4 in 1995 from 69.8 in 1980. During that same period, the average retirement age for all American workers dropped to 62 from 64. With the stock market doing so well, doctors whose investments have been good are getting out because they have the means to retire. The survey indicated dissatisfaction with managed care as the primary reason for quitting.