Consumer Satisfaction with Primary Care Physicians in a Managed Care Health Benefits Plan

Abstract

This study examines the idea that both perceptions of how services of a physician are rendered and perceptions about administrative aspects of a managed care health benefits plan impact on the satisfaction consumers have with their chosen primary care physician. Findings indicate that quality of care, not quantity, impacts on satisfaction, as does increased age and decreased incomes. Three variables that can be controlled by benefits administrators are also important determinants of satisfaction: access to care, adequacy of the plan, and perceived satisfaction with the benefits administration office.