But they are legally binding. Signing an ugly agreement could have serious repercussions later. So it may be time to hire a contract doctor`s lawyer for their legal services if you don`t have legal experience yourself. Some health professionals choose to review the document themselves. Others hire legal counsel with extensive experience in health and labour law to guide them through the process. Read on to get the answer to the question asked by every doctor: Hiring a contract lawyer is one way to make sure you understand every term of the agreement. It`s also a way to make sure you get a fair deal, and a doctor`s contract lawyer will make sure your document includes all the important terms. These Terms include your obligations, indemnification, benefits and termination provisions. You also explain which terms of the contract are negotiable and which are not. Ultimately, this will help you get the best possible deal from signing. An experienced lawyer will review the contract and tell you what should and should not be included in the contract and what points of the contract you should push back to ensure that your interests are protected.
At Mohammed, Shamaileh & Tabahi, LLC, we will do everything in our power to ensure that the terms of the contract favour you and do not unnecessarily limit your options. Find resources and templates for employment contracts for physicians in an individual or group practice. Doctor contracts are one of our specialties at Mohammed, Shamaileh & Tabahi, LLC. Our team advises doctors on labour law and on the best way to manage their doctor`s contract. We can help you get the most out of your job. A contract specialist may even have reviewed your new employer`s contracts in the past. You may have even more insight than you know. If they`ve ever seen agreements from that employer, they`ll know if you`re getting a fair deal. The remuneration of employed physicians is often based, at least in part, on a mathematical formula that takes into account factors such as the number of patients seen, the revenue the practice generates for those patients, the new patients that the physician`s employee attracts to the practice, and the profitability of the practice.
If the physician`s income is based, in whole or in part, on something other than pure salary, it is the physician`s responsibility to ensure that he or she understands the formula and that it is set out in a complete and fair manner in the employment contract (or in a separate document attached to the agreement as evidence and incorporated into it by reference). Finding lawyers who specialize in doctors` employment contracts is not difficult. Contacting the state medical association in the state where you will be working is one of the best ways to find qualified attorneys to review and negotiate your employment contract for doctors. Be sure to find a lawyer who is admitted to the bar in the state where you will be working, as state legal requirements may apply as well as federal laws. Contract Diagnostics, based in Missouri, was founded by entrepreneur Jon Appino. Neither Jon nor the company is a law firm, and they use a network of external lawyers to review their clients` employment contracts. One of the advantages of Contract Diagnostics is that it focuses exclusively on reviewing employment contracts and does not try to sell other financial products. If you`re still in school, they also offer a flexible compensation option, where you can defer some of the cost of the exam until you start practicing. There are additional benefits to hiring a lawyer who has experience in dealing with doctors` employment contracts. First, an experienced lawyer can know a lot about the local health care market from the employer and your potential employer. Depending on the size of the employer, the lawyer may have already reviewed and negotiated employment contracts for other medical clients in which the same employer is involved. If so, your lawyer may be able to provide insight into what the employer may or may not want to negotiate.
For example, your lawyer might know that, of course, the employer does not negotiate restrictive agreements and that it would be a waste of time and money to obtain concessions in this area. Physicians should be aware that the provisions of the “Physician Incentive Plan” or “bonuses” are written into many physician employment contracts to protect employers, not physicians` employees. Factors that can negatively impact the flexible portion of the doctor`s compensation are: A contract specialist knows what the standard practices are in your state and what your employer can get away with. If there is no such income guarantee or financial incentive for hospitals, a physician should always be wary of these non-compete obligations, as they can prevent the physician from earning a living in the community if his or her employment ends for any reason. In other words, physicians who voluntarily or involuntarily leave their current employer and attempt to open a new practice on their own or enter another practice may be sued by their former employer to prevent them from doing so. These doctors would do much better to negotiate a reasonable non-compete clause with which to live before signing the employment contract. A lawyer will know whether their state law allows such agreements not to compete with each other, or (in most states where they are allowed) which non-compete obligations are considered appropriate and therefore enforceable by the courts. .