Key Issues in a Physician Employment Agreement

A physician employment agreement can allocate years of financial, professional and geographic risk. Compensation is only one part of the review.

Important provisions often include base compensation and bonuses, call coverage, scheduling, outside activities, restrictive covenants, termination rights, professional liability insurance and tail coverage, benefits, credentialing, records, intellectual property and dispute-resolution provisions.

The practical question is not simply whether a clause is common. It is what the clause requires in the physician’s actual role, what happens if the relationship ends, and whether the written agreement matches the business terms the parties believe they negotiated.