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BY STEVE BARRETT RIGOROUSLY VE T TING AN EMPLOYMENT CONTR ACT CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN PHYSICIAN COMPENSATION AND QUALIT Y OF LIFE, E XPERTS RECENTLY TOLD MEDSCAPE. DIGGING IN to Employment Contracts AN OFTEN€MISSED FE ATURE of con- tracts is that perks such as relocation compen sat ion a nd si g n i n g bonu ses must be repa id if t he physicia n does not r em a i n on t he job a m i n i mu m period of time, says Dennis Hursh, Esq., Ma na g ing Pa r tner of Pennsylva nia- ba s e d Hu r s h a nd Hu r s h P C, wh ich represents physicia ns. Providers may even have to repay recr uitment fees, he adds, urg ing physicia ns to negoti- ate terms that let them repay prorated a mounts based on how long they stay. It 's a lso wise for a physicia n to think twice about signing the contract if he or she may not wa nt to be at a pa r ticula r fa ci l it y ver y lon g , say s Jon Appi no, founder of Kansas City-based Contract Diag nostics, which reviews physicia n employment ag reements. A nd contract s t hat tie compensa- t ion t o pr o duc t iv it y s hou ld en s u re physicians' right to review records with which determinations of productivit y a re made. Hursh reca lls a client whose pay was reduced a f ter he did not meet a quota. The client had to request access to t he releva nt records because t hat right was not spelled out in his contract. He d id ga i n a ccess, a nd t he records showed a majorit y of his patients had not been documented in the system. Physicians should a lso verify whether t hei r c ont r a c t a l low s a he a lt hc a r e system to assign them to any of its facili- ties, Appino says. The a lternative ca n be a long and unanticipated commute. ■ CORE Neurology Services at Crouse Health at Crouse Health Our team of board-certified neurologists, along with experienced physician assistants, provide personalized and comprehensive care for Our team of board-certified neurologists, along with experienced physician assistants, provide personalized and comprehensive care for an array of neurological disorders. We are supported by the latest medical technology, from life-saving intervention for stroke and severe an array of neurological disorders. We are supported by the latest medical technology, from life-saving intervention for stroke and severe brain trauma, to the skillful management of a wide range of neurological conditions. Sami Abdul-Malak MD Chief of Neurology Jonathan Braiman, MD Vikas Gupta, MD Director, Neurophysiology Savita Kumari, MD Tara Ramachandran, MD Stroke Director Jianxin Ma, MD Collin Maloney, PA Tabatha Jorgensen, PA • Nerve conduction studies • Fellowship-trained neurologist with specialty in epilepsy and EEG who focuses on diagnosis and management of patients with seizure or suspected seizure • Routine EEGs and ambulatory EEGs performed in the Crouse Neurophysiology lab • Botox injections for prevention and treatment of migraines • Occipital nerve blocks and trigger point injections for the treatment of headaches • Diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions including: • Stroke/TIA • Headache • Multiple sclerosis • Brain infections • Seizure, epilepsy • Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's Neurology CNY Medical Center 739 Irving Ave. | Syracuse, NY 13210 Welcoming new patients. Welcoming new patients. 315-470-7747 | crousemed.com crousemed.com Most insurances accepted Most insurances accepted Ofce Hours 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Services M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A L N Y ■ 2 017 F I N A N C E 1 3