Could managed care actually be boosting the incomes of primary care physicians? That's the story from a recent Ernst & Young survey, which found that primary care physicians averaged $136,000 last year in managed care environments, 5 percent more than their counterparts in fee-for-service environments. Just two years earlier, primary care compensation in both settings was nearly even.

For the surgical specialties, compensation is less under managed care. Surgical subspecialists in fee-for-service environments earned $9,800 more.

Source: Ernst & Young, 1997 Physicians Compensation and Productivity Survey.