He said that doctors in Monmouth and Ocean County had met last night and solidified plans.

Dr. Zaccaria and other physicians said the protest, which might run anywhere from three days to a week or longer, aimed to bring attention to malpractice insurance premium costs that, at least in one case, have risen 500 percent.

The doctors said they hope to focus the public and legislators' attention on their complaints and secure legislation. They seek measures to cap malpractice pain and suffering awards at $250,000, tighten time limits for reporting claims, and prohibit rate increases for a physician based on a claim that has not gone to trial or settlement.

Besides Monmouth and Ocean, doctors said they expect walkouts in Passaic, Hudson, Bergen, Morris and Middlesex.

"This doesn't have a leader. It's an informal grass roots thing," explained Dr. Lloyd Currier, president of the Hudson County Medical Society.

Gov. Jim McGreevey's spokesperson, Micah Rasmussen, said the governor expected that doctors would not put their patients at risk and that discussions were ongoing with representatives from the state medical society and other state departments.

If doctors walk, he said, "it does everyone a disservice and is not productive and is actually irresponsible."

Dr. Steven Shikiar, an Englewood surgeon, said his malpractice insurance cost had gone up from $22,000 to $110,000 in the course of a year and there had been no claims against him.

Doctors are responding to the rates by retiring or halting some areas of treatment, they said.