Skip Links

It is that time of year again that many employment contracts are being offered to departing residents and fellows. Most of these new physicians do not know the difference between a claims made and an occurrence malpractice insurance policy. They do not know the difference between a state licensed insurance company that is in that state’s insurance pool as against a physician owned insurance pool, or off-shore entity. Items such as restrictive covenants often exhibit a passing glance prior to signature. The entity offering the contract often states it is nothing more than “boiler plate legalese”; just sign and start your employment. NOT SO FAST! So-called boiler plate language, if legal, is enforceable. Restrictive covenants might have terms that are untenable to you, the young physician. An appropriate medical malpractice policy will make the difference between coverage and “holding the bag”. An employment contract could literally affect the rest of your life. Have a health care attorney look the proposed contract over for you! I would love for that person to be me, but I implore you to use a competent health care attorney to review and explain before you sign it.

Courtesy of Frier Levitt, Attorneys at Law