As the end of the fiscal year draws near, many physicians who will be entering their final year of training will also begin the world of job searching! While this process is exciting and hopeful, it can also be intimidating, burdensome, and very time consuming. So in looking ahead to this next big step that many of our clients face, I was delighted to come across this fun and helpful article about how job interviews are very similar to first dates. I hadn't considered this exact comparison, but it is spot-on. This article, found on PracticeLink.com, is not only insightful for physicians embarking on their job search, but also adds a bit of a comedic light that might shave a bit of the edge off this otherwise intense process. If you're beginning your physician job search, and you are interested in learning how a physician agent can make this process not only more fruitful, but also nearly stress-free, please give us a call at 317-989-4833 or email Leigh Ann O'Neill at loneill@lauthoneill.com.
Breaking Down Physician Compensation: The Devil is in the Details
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A couple weeks ago we started a new series on breaking down physician compensation, and followed up with our second installment which discussed production compensation models. In the final installment in this series, we are addressing some of the details of your physician production compensation that you must keep in mind, and which can make an enormous difference in how and when you get paid.
When you have your physician employment contract reviewed, certain elements in the compensation language should be at the top of your mind! If you will be paid production compensation, either exclusively or in addition to a base salary, it is critical that the contract outline the method and timing for the payment. For example, it may be well-established that you will be paid 70% of your gross collections, but what does that really mean for your monthly or bi-weekly paycheck? Ideally, you should be able to tell simply by reading the language in your physician employment agreement, how each paycheck will be calculated. Suppose for example that your employer will pay you a "draw" each month, and then your overall compensation will be reconciled later. You must consider on what data the "draw" amount will be based. Perhaps it is based on a one-month look-back period, taking into consideration your previous month's collections, and paying you a set percentage of that total amount. This method can be problematic, as on a month to month basis, your collections could vary greatly, taking into consideration being away from work at a CME conference or on vacation. So it might be safer to have your "look-back" period be a longer amount of time, providing a more even-keel monthly average collections number on which to base your "draw" amount.
Also pay close attention to when and how the reconciliation will occur. In some physician employment agreements, the reconciliation happens just once a year. This may not be the best case scenario, as if you are over-earning your monthly "draw" amounts, you might not want to wait until the end of the year to be paid the difference you have collected. Likewise, if you are under-earning your draw amounts, it can be devastating to face an enormous repayment amount that you could owe in one lump sum.
Again, these are only a couple points that must be considered when you hire a physician contract review lawyer to analyze your agreement, and every physician employment contract is different.
For further information, please contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at loneill@lauthoneill.com or 317-989-4833.
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Breaking Down Physician Compensation: Production Compensation
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Last week we began a new blog series on Breaking Down Physician Compensation. After all, there are so many different ways physicians are paid these days, and how does it all really work? In this installment, we are taking a closer look at an increasingly popular form of compensation- production compensation. Production compensation has always been the norm for physicians who are partners in private groups, but it has also gained a lot of traction for employed physicians in all different types of settings.
Production compensation is not to be confused with some type of bonus compensation. Instead, production compensation (often referred to as "incentive compensation") is where a physician is literally paid for what they actually do. Production compensation typically takes 2 forms: collections-based compensation, and wRVU-based compensation. Collections-based compensation is most typically seen in the private practice setting, and wRVU-based compensation is more typically seen in a hospital setting.
With private practices, production compensation is relatively straight forward. As a physician, you bring in a certain amount of money (your collections), and you will have to pay out of those collections certain types of overhead. There are both direct and indirect overhead expenses that must be covered, and sometimes private practices handle these expenses by allocating to each physician their direct overhead expenses, plus a prorated share of the indirect overhead expenses, and deducting that total amount from the physician's "gross collections," which leaves the physician with their "net collections" as their take home pay. All of this hugely depends on whether the physician is a partner or an employee, which can change the math dramatically, but the idea is typically the same. You bring money in, you have to pay your bills, and you keep the rest.
In the hospital setting, wRVU-based compensation is typically favored for various different reasons. A wRVU is a unit assigned to pretty much every medical service a physician can offer (there are some exceptions). The wRVU value of each service, procedure, surgery, etc. is meant to account for all aspects of the service- not just how much it costs to perform, or how much a payor is willing to pay for it. For instance, if a surgeon performs a surgery that is complex and requires enormous amounts of time, training, and experience in order to complete, the wRVU value will be higher than a surgery that takes less time and is less complicated to perform. wRVU-based compensation is favored in the hospital setting because hospitals have such great overhead, and their payor population may be mixed such that certain types of physicians, depending on their specialty, are not likely to actually collect for most of the services they provide (for instance, an ER physician at a safety-net hospital that has many uninsured patients). With this type of compensation, the physician is paid a dollar amount for each wRVU they perform. The dollar amounts vary hugely based on specialty, region of the country, the physician's training and background, etc.
While we are only really scraping the surface in this article on production compensation, it is important for each physician who is offered a contract to carefully consider the manner in which they will be paid. Make sure you are comfortable with the way in which the employer spends the money that comes in, and ensure you are fairly compensated as compared to other similar physicians.
For more information on production compensation, and all other methods of physician compensation, and help with your physician contract review, please contact us at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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Lauth O'Neill is Proud to Annouce Our New Physician Licensing Service!
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If you have ever completed a physician's state medical license application, you know that it can be downright painful! Plus, it's enormously time-consuming! It's something that most practicing physicians and physicians in training simply don't have time to deal with. And if you're about to start your first job out of training or a new job in a different state, chances are that now is the time you need to start your licensing process. That is why we are proud to announce our state medical licensing service!
Rather than putting you through the hassle of tasks such as looking up the addresses and phone numbers of everywhere you have ever worked, we conduct a short phone call to capture all of your relevant information, and then we go to work for you! For a flat fee, we take care of the busy work and leave you with what limited free time you have left in your schedule. Once we have completed the tedious application work, we send it off to you for your review and signature, along with an addressed and stamped envelope. All you have to do is sign, and drop it in the mail! It's not rocket science, but it saves you hours of precious time!
Contact us today to find out more about our new physician state medical licensing service- 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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Physician Contract Review Tips - 2015: The Fine Print
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The next entry in this latest series of blog posts is dedicated to the physicians who have been negotiating their contract terms for months already, and are finally about to receive the written agreement in its full form for the first time. Often physicians receive, in advance of the actual employment contract, a letter of intent or some other type of term sheet that outlines the "big ticket" items in their physician employment arrangement. Such a document might spell out the base salary, mention some additional type of production compensation, list a signing bonus, moving expenses reimbursement, and maybe the number of vacation days promised. And many times, clients I work with ask if they should just get these "major terms" hammered out first, and then ask for the full written agreement once they are ready to sign it. I never agree with this suggestion, because reviewing the full contract in its entirety is the only way to be even remotely sure that you are in agreement with the job as it is offered. Of course, the salary, bonuses, and other benefits offered are important in any physician job search, but one can imagine the surprise of finally receiving their contract only to find out it is written severely, or even unfairly, in favor of the employer, and fails to ensure any sort of protection for the physician employee.
This possibility also brings to mind the scenario that often occurs between employers and physician employees, where the two parties have been talking over the details of the physician's job for months, and then the physician finally receives the written employment agreement to find that many of the specific terms are no where to be found in writing. If you look carefully at the contract, you are more than likely to find a provision that states something to the effect of "The terms of this Agreement represent the full understanding and agreement between the parties, and all other previous agreements, whether written or verbal, are of no force or effect." In other words- all of those times the employer may have assured you that they will buy you the equipment you need to do you job, and will make sure you have appropriate nursing and administrative support, really mean nothing at all if they are not clearly set forth in the agreement. Of course, it may turn out that all of the verbal promises are met at the end of the day, but you only have legal rights to the terms spelled out in the written agreement.
It cannot be overstated- the importance of carefully, and thoroughly reviewing your physician employment contract in its entirety is of utmost importance!
For more information on how we can help make sure your interests are protected, and your next physician employment arrangement is truly as it has been advertised, contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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It's Physician Contract Review Season!
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For physicians who are in their last year of training, you have made it past the half-year point, and the light is clearly at the end of the tunnel! So a sigh of relief is in order; and if you're in the midst of considering which job to take, then so is a legal review of your offered employment contracts.
In order to kick off the contract review season, we wanted to pass along a few helpful thoughts and pointers in this series of blog articles: Physician Contract Review Tips - 2015.
Our first tip: Look out for unfavorable termination provisions. When it comes to the termination section of a physician employment agreement, there are many ways the contract can be more or less favorable and fair to the physician employee. As part of our comprehensive legal review, we like to tear these sections apart to make every suggestion possible so that the terms end up more favorable to our client. In some instances, the termination provisions are very one-sided and allow the employer to terminate with and without cause, while leaving the employed physician with only very limited termination rights. Additionally, some agreements provide the employer with huge discretion in terms of reasons for which they can terminate the physician's employment. In relation to non-compete covenants, tail coverage, and bonus repayment provisions, any termination event can lead to negative consequences for the physician if the agreement as a whole is not drafted properly. While it is sometimes hard to think about your potential employment arrangement ending even before it has begun, the termination provisions are among the most important in any physician employment agreement.
Stay tuned for our upcoming articles on our next physician contract review tips! And for information about how Lauth O'Neill can help you in your job search and contract review process, please call or email Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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Physician Job Searching: Licensing Time Is Here!
If you're in your last year of training in residency or fellowship, and you'll be starting your first job this summer, it's time to get started on your licensing application for the state in which you'll begin your practice. Yes, the end of most training programs is still 6 or 7 months away, and maybe you're not starting your job until August or even later, but the various state's Boards of Medical Examiners may not be on the fast track pace you might hope for. In some states, just the processing time alone can take up to 4 months or more. This amount of time doesn't account for the additional lead time you need for gathering up all of the necessary documentation you'll be required to submit, or have submitted, to your state's Medical Board. For example, most states require items such as the following:
- Your USMLE or NBME, FLEX, or SPEX transcripts (Go to the Federation of State Medical Boards website for more info on your transcript);
- Your medical school transcript;
- Verification from all post-medical school training programs;
- Letters of good moral character from other physician colleagues;
- Documentation of your licensure in any other state you have been licensed.
…..and other items too, depending on the specific state- all states applications are different, and you must check with the Board of Medical examiners in your state to understand their specific process. There will also, of course, be a full application you must complete and submit to your state's Medical Board.
In addition to applying for your new state license, you may also need to apply for your own personal Federal Drug Enforcement Agency number if you have been using an institutional DEA number which is common through certain training programs. Visit the DEA website for application information.
Finally, don't forget about state controlled substances registrations which some states require in addition to your Federal DEA number.
Happy applying!
Physician Job Searching: Should I Work With a Recruiter?
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Many physicians who are in training receive countless emails and phone calls from physician recruiters, letting them know about job openings that are available, and advertising the services the recruiter offers. Having a recruiter work for you can be a great match in certain instances, as they are able to streamline the job search process, and in most cases, come to you with actual job openings right from the get-go. So why would a physician not want to work with a recruiter?
Depending on where you would like to practice, many physicians will benefit from working with a recruiter. For instance, if you are interested in working in a more rural community, or anywhere that may generally pose more of a challenge from the perspective of recruiting physicians, working with a recruiter might be the right thing for you. Recruiters are hired by or employed by health systems or other employers who are trying to fill an open position. The employer then pays a fee to the recruiter who is able to find a match for the job opening.
On the flip side of this coin are the jobs that are not difficult to fill, and are highly or even only somewhat competitive. This could be due to their geographic location, reputation of the employer, or other general popularity of the job. If you anticipate desiring a job that will meet these criteria, working with a recruiter may not be for you.
I have actually worked with clients who have been told by employers that if they plan to apply for a specific job, they must not allow a recruiter to contact the employer on their behalf. In many cases, doing so will obligate the employer to pay a fee to the recruiter. In situations where a job is more easily filled, employers have no interest in, and actually refuse to, pay a recruiter's fee. If you are working with a recruiter and they contact employers on your behalf, you run the risk of actually being passed over by certain employers who will not pay a recruiter's fee. This is due to the fact that hiring a physician who is working with a recruiter will be significantly more expensive for the employer, and therefore, they will easily find a different candidate they can hire less expensively.
Before you begin working with a recruiter, carefully consider the type of job you are looking for, and be sure that working with a recruiter will be beneficial to your physician job search.
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Reference Letters: Good to Have On Tap in your Physician Job Search
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A recent article published by Adventures in Medicine reinforced the notion of being prepared in your physician job search. When you delve into this process, it often can seem fast paced with many moving parts. Being prepared up front can help make everything go more smoothly, and help you feel more in control. One thing that is helpful is having reference letters ready to go in case potential employers ask for them. While many employers choose to make a few phone calls to colleagues in order find out more about you, some will ask to see formal letters of reference. Having these letters written and ready to go can help the job search and contract negotiations process move along more quickly, and more efficiently. Check out the Adventures in Medicine article for helpful tips on how to ask for these letters, and what they should include.
For more information about physician job searching and contract review, please contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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Moving the Money Around: How to Make Your Physician Employment Contract Work for You
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When physicians receive an employment offer, it is common for the physician to wish for increases in certain forms of compensation, or to have additional benefits added into the employment package. For physicians coming out of training, one very common desire is to have some amount of student loans paid off upfront. While this may or may not be a real possibility for any given physician, depending on how in-demand he or she is, one thing to think about is creative ways to move the money around.
The employer may be offering a handsome base salary, but no signing bonus. Or the employer may be offering a signing bonus outright, with no obligation to repay the bonus under any circumstances. When looking at negotiating your physician employment contract, it is important to consider what you are willing to "give" and what you think the employer might be most interested in getting. For instance, some physician employment offers include a free-and-clear signing bonus, with no strings attached. For physicians who want to the signing bonus amount increased in order to put toward student loan repayment, sometime employers will agree to increase the amount of the bonus, in exchange for having the bonus constructed as a forgivable loan. Forgivable loans make the employers happy because they ensure the physician stays in the position for a certain length of time in order to "pay off" the signing bonus. This is merely one possible example of how money can be moved around in an agreement. Another example is adjusting the base compensation over the year downward and getting a free-and-clear signing bonus up front. The employer may be better able to offer this capital amount up front, which can help young physicians who may have high-interest rate student loans which are better paid off as soon as possible.
For more information about a legal review of your physician employment contract and assistance with negotiating the various terms, contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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Interviewing for Physician Jobs? Be Sure to Follow Up.
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In my work I often talk to physicians who have begun their job search process, and have interviewed with multiple potential employers. One thing I love to hear from these doctors is that they're being sure to follow through with the employers once an interview is complete. Having an interview not only gives you the opportunity to make your best first impression with a potential employer, but it also allows you the opportunity to stay at the front of the employer's mind once the interview is over. Never miss an opportunity to follow up!
When I work with clients in their job search process, I advise them that an immediate follow-up after an interview is crucial. When you're job searching, and your goal is to obtain as many quality job offers as possible, you cannot afford to let someone forget about you. After you interview with a potential employer, you should send a thank you note to everyone you talked with, preferably within a week following the interview. Thank you notes can take many different forms, and to an extent, the specifics of it will be shaped based on your own personality, but certain aspects, I believe, are non-negotiable:
- As you would expect, always open with a sentence thanking the individual for taking the time to interview you. This will let the employer know you do not suffer from any entitlement issues, and instead, that you realize their time is as valuable as yours.
- Try to include a sentence that relates specifically to the conversation you had with the individual- if possible, it is nice to offer a compliment about something you learned of the individual or their practice that you found to be impressive.
- Finally, you must close with an action request. Do not simply end your note with "thanks again for meeting with me." Be sure to convey the message that you're looking forward to hearing from them soon, and if you genuinely mean it, don't be afraid to come right out and say that you would be thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them.
While thank you notes seem basic, and perhaps very elementary, their value cannot be overstated. Especially when sent in the form of a handwritten note, employers are impressed you took the time and energy to send the note, and chances are, the note will sit on their desk for a few days- bringing you to the front of their mind time and time again.
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Physician Job Searching: What to Expect if You're Going Private
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As physicians finish up their training and begin looking for their first job, or as practicing physicians decide to make a career change, the employment possibilities can seem not only endless and intimidating, but also confusing. In the rapidly changing world of physician entities and employment arrangements, it seems there is no shortage of unique practices that are more and more owned by or affiliated with a hospital system. While an increasing number of private (and I use that term in this blog to merely mean non-hospital owned) groups are purchased by large hospital systems, some groups that started from the ground up have managed to proudly remain standing on their own. For physicians who join such private groups, the pros and cons are many, and often balance themselves out in many ways. Where groups owned by large hospital systems do not benefit from holding onto 100% of the revenue they churn up, they often have streamlined operations, with strong compliance and billing support, a robust EMR, and strong payor and referral relationships, leaving less day-to-day worries for the physicians and administrators.
On the other hand, the smaller private groups that have remained standing on their own tend to be leaner and have a much more focused view on running their practice with a business-minded approach. While they may not benefit from the operations support that a hospital-owned practice may enjoy, they are likely to be more efficient in specific areas, allowing them to take full benefit from their revenue and reinvest that revenue where available and appropriate. In these types of practices, physicians are often given the opportunity to "buy in" to the various different entities that may be affiliated with the private group, such as ambulatory surgery centers ("ASCs"), research entities, etc. When a physician is able to buy into such entities they obviously then reap the reward of the revenue coming into those entities from various different sources- a benefit often not enjoyed by physicians employed by hospital-owned groups. Additionally, physician employees and partners of private groups almost always have more leeway when it comes to the ability to adjust their practice and day-to-day operating procedures in a way that best suits their style and needs; whereas, physicians employed by large hospital systems typically have a harder time getting meaningful changes to take place in a timely fashion.
If you're beginning your physician job search and are interested in exploring private practice opportunities, be sure to flesh out the various issues that have the potential to impact your well-being down the road. While younger physicians are likely to begin as an employee of a private group, eventual partnership is very common and somewhat expected, and before you invest your first couple years as an employee, you will want to make sure you know exactly what you're walking into.
For more information about different employment and partnership structures, and how your physician job search can be tailored to meet your specific needs, call Leigh Ann at 317-989-4833 or email at loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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Physician Contract Review Tip: Termination Language and Finding the Sweet Spot
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When you go to negotiate your physician employment contract, finding that sweet spot on various issues can be challenging, and especially when you consider contract termination language found in your agreement. The termination provisions in your contract can end up being the most crucial, and often times are drafted quite unfavorably to the physician employee. For instance, is there a non-compete covenant and will it apply to you even if the contract terminates because of something that was outside your control? What about a "without-cause" termination provision? Is there one, and is the time period provided the right length for you? Additionally, consider instances where there may be a pay-back provision; requiring that you return some or all of your signing bonus or salary if you terminate the physician employment contract before a certain date?
All of these scenarios are commonly found in physician employment contracts, and they can often be negotiated to be made more favorable to the employee. But is it really a good idea to start off your new employment relationship by trying to adjust the terms of your contract that will allow you to end it more easily? On the other hand, accepting unfavorable termination provisions from the get-go can be detrimental down the road. It's certainly a delicate balance, and a negotiation topic that must be carefully considered and artfully approached.
For more information about physician contract reviews and how a physician agent and attorney can add value in this crucial process, please contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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Questions about Lauth O'Neill Physician Agency?
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If you have heard of a physician agent, but are curious about how Lauth O'Neill provides their concierge-style physician job search and physician contract review services, please check out our new FAQ page. Here we have outlined various questions we often receive and have provided detailed answers. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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How a Physician Agent and Attorney Adds Value
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In this series of articles, we are outlining examples of ways Lauth O’Neill’s physician contract review and agent services have added value to our physician clients. While every physician job search is unique and has its own unique outcome, all of the examples in this series are based on actual client experiences.
Lauth O'Neill Value-Added Example #3: Crafting favorable non-competition language. When you receive your physician employment contract, it may include a non-competition covenant. In general, this type of covenant restricts you from practicing medicine within a certain mile radius of your employer's office, for a set amount of time following your employment. As an experienced health care attorney, Leigh Ann is able to craft legal language within the physician employment contract to ensure her clients are not held to non-compete covenants in certain instances. While we generally disagree with physician non-competes for a variety of reasons, there are particular instances in which physicians absolutely should not be held to complying with these terms, and it is our job to nail down those instances, and put our legal skills to work in amending the employment contract language to ensure our clients receive the most favorable legal terms. This is merely one additional example of the value a physician lawyer can provide when providing physician contract legal review services. If the non-competition covenant ends up being enforced, the result can be that the physician employee is required to uproot not only his or her practice, but his or her family as well, in order to move to a different city or state. This is an extraordinary cost that can be avoided if the proper legal attention is paid to your physician employment contract terms.
For more information on how Leigh Ann can assist in your physician contract review, please contact her at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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Residents and Fellows Looking for Next Job Location: Look for a Doctor Loan
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When residents and fellows finally finish up their medical training and start to look for their first physician job, one of the many things they look forward to is purchasing a house in the city they'll call home. Whether this will be their first home purchase, or one of many previous purchases, the prospect of settling down into that first post-training home is an exciting one. What many physicians are remiss to consider, however, is how the home loan options in a given city can make that city more or less attractive than an alternative city they may be considering. What the different banks in each prospective city are willing to do for young doctors can make a world of difference when it comes down to actually committing to a job in any given location.
On this blog, I have previously discussed how physicians should pay close attention to cost-of-living differences when they weigh their job options between different cities, but the notion of a "doctor loan" is somewhat of a newer concept in some areas of the country, and can have a huge impact on your budget and how your first paychecks will be spent. A "doctor loan" is a home mortgage loan offered by some banks to physicians upon proof of a written physician job contract. Such loans are often offered with very high purchase limits, require zero money down on the home purchase, and come with the same low interest rates that the rest of home buyers these days are enjoying. If you have access to a zero-down home mortgage loan, and with a low interest rate, it is entirely possible that the impact of this favorable loan can overcome any shortcoming you may perceive in a lower salary offer as compared to a higher salary offer in a city where no doctor loans are offered. Additionally, having access to a doctor loan with very favorable terms and a low interest rate can make student loan repayment much faster.
To learn more about effectively weighing the various pros and cons in your physician job search and selecting the employment arrangement that is best for you, contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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How do you Gain from Lauth O'Neill Physician Agency?
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The answer is simple: We make our clients money, and we save our clients money. The physician job search process is certainly not a short or simple one. It takes months, and more typically, years to complete, and involves innumerable moving parts. The job search process requires extensive outreach efforts and marketing of a physician's credentials and qualifications. And once job offers are received, the physician employment contracts must be legally reviewed for costly and detrimental legal terms, and also negotiated to ensure the best offer is accepted. After all, the point of a physician job search is not to just find a job. The point of your physician job search is to find the best job for you- and the one that is most advantageous to you legally and financially.
In this series of articles, I will outline examples of ways Lauth O'Neill's professional services have added value to our physician clients. While every physician job search is unique and has its own unique outcome, all of the following are based on actual client experiences.
Lauth O'Neill Value-Added Example #1: A $75,000 increase in annual salary, in addition to a $50,000 signing bonus. How did we pull this off? We know how to gain leverage for our clients, and we know how to use it appropriately to negotiate better benefits.
Lauth O'Neill Value-Added Example #2: Amending insufficient medical malpractice coverage terms to avoid unquantifiable expense to our client. When a physician employment contract includes insufficient medical malpractice coverage, the consequence can be detrimental to the physician- not only expensive, but potentially career-ending. We understand the ins and outs of physician employment agreements, and know exactly what to look for to ensure that our clients are not stuck with unfavorable and harmful legal terms.
Check back here often or contact Leigh Ann directly for additional ways Lauth O'Neill Physician Agency provides value to its clients. Contact Leigh Ann at loneill@lauthoneill.com or 317-989-4833.
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Physician Employment Contract Negotiation Tip: Look Out for Practice Location Terms
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In a time of decreasing reimbursement rates, it is becoming more and more popular for hospital systems and some larger private physician groups to open rural clinics and other types of practice sites. This trend is on the rise because reimbursement rates tend to be better in rural areas, and other regulatory rules are often relaxed for rural health care providers. Due to the influx in rural clinics and practice sites, physician employers are obviously faced with who will staff these additional locations. Of course, many employers simply hire physicians to work only in these rural locations, but other employers are staffing the locations with their physician employees who work the majority of their time in more urban practice locations.
Because it is often more difficult to find physicians who are willing to work only in the rural locations, the employers are faced with ways of staffing the rural practice sites with their urban physicians, and many times it ends up being the more junior physician employees who are called upon to commute to the rural locations on occasion. With this increasing trend, it's not surprising that many physician employment contracts these days are coming with provisions that require the physician to provide services at "any practice location the Employer owns or provides services." This is becoming one of the classic contract provisions that seems harmless and just like any other "standard" contract language, but it can bring significant discontent on the part of the physician once the job actually begins. While the physician employment contracts should always stipulate an actual address of the office location where the physician will be providing services, physicians should be weary of this additional "catch-all" sort of language that may require them to provide services at other office locations that may not have been specifically set out in the contract. Keeping an eye out for this type of vague language and amending it to provide only specific requirements on the part of the physician is always a good idea so that the physician can begin his or her job and be confident there are not any unwelcome surprises down the road.
For more information on how Lauth O'Neill can assist in your physician job search or physician employment contract review, please contact Leigh Ann at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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Isn't Job Searching Too Personal To Have An Agent Do It?
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This is a question I sometimes hear mumbled when I discuss what I do with others. They wonder if the job search process might be too personal to have someone else involved in it, let alone take the reigns and head it up. And I always say, "yes, physician job searching is certainly very personal. But that is where our strengths come in." The bottom line is that physicians don't want to embark on their job search all on their own. When done properly, it's too time consuming and burdensome, and involves too many tedious tasks. Not to mention, physicians understand that a physician agent has the experience necessary to put the physician on a level playing field with the employers in terms of getting the benefits, salary, and other forms of compensation they deserve. After all, physician agents have experience with negotiating contract terms and they understand the various physician compensation models and how to make sure physicians get the best deal out of their next employment arrangement.
So while the job search process is, of course, highly personal, we make it our duty to ensure we know all about what you want out of your next job. We talk with you to find out what sort of practice you envision yourself having, in what part of the country you would like it to be, and what aspects of life outside of work are important to you and your family. Of course we don't stop at that- we gain a thorough understanding of what details you expect from your employment- be that your physician salary, particular benefits, time away from work, and any other special features you would like. While some clients have already been contacted by potential employers or have heard about possible job openings from colleagues, we not only assist you in pursuing those jobs, but we also go a step farther. We help you explore all other potential jobs so that you can rest easy knowing all viable options have been unveiled and you are not missing out on a job that may be a better match for you. In addition to seeking out all potential physician employment options, we follow through on every critical step of the physician job search process- from keeping in touch with potential employers and scheduling your interviews, to providing a detailed legal analysis of all contract offers you receive and suggesting favorable changes.
To learn more about how we can assist you in this very personal, and important process, contact Leigh Ann at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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Physicians Needing J-1 Waivers & Job Searching
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Many of the physicians who staff the residency positions across the country are foreign nationals who have come to America to further their medical training. As the physician shortage seems to continually exacerbate, it is more and more important that the well-qualified physicians training in America by way of a J-1 visa be able to secure employment following their training. While there are various different means by which foreign nationals can legally remain in the US while being employed after their medical training has concluded, one of such ways is to obtain a J-1 waiver, which prevents the individual from having to return home for a required two-year period following his or her medical training in the US. The US government grants a finite amount of such waivers because it recognizes the importance of having enough highly-trained physicians remain in the country in order to fill positions in medically underserved communities, in health professional shortage areas, and in the Veterans Affairs hospitals.
The J-1 waiver process is lengthy, and adds significant stress and dynamic to the already stressful process of locating a physician employment position. The deadline in most states for J-1 waiver applications to be submitted is October 1 (it may be earlier in some states), making Spring the perfect time to get started in job searching and securing an employment offer which will allow J-1 waiver candidates to apply for their waiver in the Fall. The job search process is long and tedious, and it is immensely helpful to candidates to be the early job seekers so that they catch employers' attention at an early stage and have plenty of time for their J-1 waiver application to be processed.
At Lauth O'Neill, we are proud to work with experienced attorneys who have significant expertise in the J-1 waiver process. Additionally, when a client hires us to provide our Premier Opportunity Service, we cover all costs associated with external counsel who facilitates the J-1 waiver application process. Our goal is to make your job search as simple and painless as possible, leaving you your free time away from work. For more information on how we can help, please contact Leigh Ann O'Neill at 317-989-4833 or loneill@lauthoneill.com.
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