The Final Hurdle

Book excerpt: Get Your Career Off on the Right Track! Everything Physicians Need to Know About Employment Contracts COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS *Dangers of productivity compensation *Common incentive compensation formulas - what needs to be included *Benefits to look out for in addition to your compensation *How to determine if you are "disabled," and how the employer should NOTbe able to make this determination *What the employer can, and can't negotiate as far as benefits *Stark law traps, and how to avoid them RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS *What's really important in restrictive covenants, and what isn't worth negotiating over *Minimizing the impact of a restrictive covenant *How you can be released from a restrictive covenant *Negotiation strategies in buy-outs of restrictive covenants CALL COVERAGE *The language you must have DEFINING WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU *Patient contact hours expectations *What flexibility an employer will demand THE TERM OF THE AGREEMENT *Issues with hospital and managed care credentialing, and how to work around them *Grounds for termination *"Without cause" termination issues OTHER ISSUES IN AGREEMENTS TO WATCH OUT FOR *Medical record issues *Assignment of location of service *Budgetary weasel language to avoid *Malpractice issues in common provisions MALPRACTICE INSURANCE *The types of coverage, and the significance when you leave *Need for "tail coverage" *How to minimize the devastating cost of "tail coverage" PRIVATE PRACTICE ISSUES *Time to ownership *Concerns with "guaranteed" ownership *Costs of the buy-in *Methodologies for determining the buy-in, and the pros and cons of each *Why a cheap buy-in may not be in your best interest *What provisions are absolutely vital in regard to future ownership