In Physician Contracts, Hindsight Is ... Useless
BY STEVE BARRETT
FALSE A SSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE TERMS ABOVE THAT DOT TED LINE YOU'RE CONSIDERING
SIGNING — AND ABOUT YOUR WOULD-BE EMPLOYER — MAY L AND YOU IN AN UNHAPPY JOB AND
E VEN IN LEGAL PERIL, ACCORDING TO REBECCA E. GWILT, ESQ.
GAIN A FULL UNDERSTANDING of the contract in advance
to minimize risk, advises Gwilt, co-founder and Partner at
Virginia-based, healthcare-focused law firm Nixon Law Group.
Here are some important considerations:
Know what the job entails. You don't want to discover
after signing that your compensation is paltry for the amount
of work expected.
Don't assume your employer has unimpeachable legal
expertise. Signing a contract that violates the Anti-Kickback
Statute, the Stark Law or other laws related to abuse or fraud
makes you culpable for such violations and subject to penalties.
Don't rush in. You won't be able to exempt yourself from less
savory terms of a contract by claiming you didn't understand
them, so take the time necessary to vet the document.
Get a handle on the compensation structure.
Incentives, costs and a matrix of
other factors have a strong bearing
on physician compensation nowa-
days. That makes it crucial to clearly
comprehend ahead of time how
much you will realistically earn.
Speak up during negotiations.
The recruitment and interviewing
process is a significant investment
of time and money for employers.
They are unlikely to withdraw
a job offer simply because you
seek better terms. n
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