The Review Podcast

While negotiating an employment contract often results in changes to its terms, sometimes the edits are more significant than others.

A physician could see a $300,000 increase in yearly compensation, the complete removal of a non-compete clause, or important scheduling and work location changes in their favor.

Physician contract attorneys Zach Beare and Kyle Claussen provide some examples of the biggest negotiation wins they have s...

Dr. Bryan Carmody, also known as "The Sheriff of Sodium" on social media channels, joins attorney, Kyle Claussen, to discuss the current and future employment landscape for physicians.

Primarily, Dr. Carmody gives his thoughts on the physician shortage, or lack thereof, explaining how the real problem may be improper distribution of physicians across specialties and locations. This in turn reduces patient access to the right care a...

When joining a private practice, a physician may encounter a recruitment agreement, which is a document separate from the employment contract.

New or smaller practices may not have funds immediately available to hire a physician, particularly a highly-paid specialist. Since a nearby hospital system will value services and procedures that the newly-hired physician performs, they effectively loan money to a practice in order to pay t...

For most physicians, signing an employment contract is the first major step toward reaching their financial goals. The dramatic increase from a trainee's compensation to that of an attending opens up new doors, allowing physicians to truly start paying off debt and investing.

Further optimizing an employment contract for higher compensation and career longevity from the start will provide the stable income needed to reach financial...

It is becoming more common for physicians to feed their employment contracts through an AI system prior to seeking professional help or signing. Even Resolve offers an "Instant Review," which utilizes an attorney-trained AI model to spot problematic clauses and gauge the risks of signing a contract as is.

However, having only AI review a contract comes with its own risks. AI systems will sometimes misinterpret important contract la...

Physicians are particularly prone to burnout for a variety of reasons. Long hours, unpredictable call schedules, administrative burdens, and general lack of autonomy are among the contributing factors.

But what if improving physician well-being and preventing burnout could all be accomplished by correcting one important document?—an employment contract.

Mary Wolf, an executive coach and president of Veritee Partners, joins the show...

A non-compete clause is a type of restrictive covenant which limits where an employee can go to work after they leave their job. Typically, a non-compete will specify employer locations, geographic areas around those locations, and a timeframe during which the employee is not allowed to work for a competitor in those areas.

Unfortunately, non-compete clauses are common in healthcare, and they can be extremely detrimental to physici...

The FIRE movement is a lifestyle strategy focused on becoming financially independent as soon as possible in order to retire early. Physicians, depending on their spending and saving habits, can be well positioned to quickly reach FIRE.

Dr. Leif Dahleen, a (retired) anesthesiologist, is the founder of Physician on FIRE, a website providing financial education in the form of blog articles and courses to physicians pursuing some leve...

Today, the majority of physicians are employed by corporate entities like hospitals or large health systems. However, there are still plenty of doctors joining private practices, perhaps with partnership tracks outlined in their employment contracts.

Contracts for private practice can be structured differently than those for purely employed settings, and details surrounding partnership need to be absolutely clear before ever signin...

For a J-1 waiver application to be approved, a physician's employer and employment contract must meet certain requirements. For instance, the contract must offer full-time employment for at least three years and exclude any sort of non-compete clause. The employer must also be located in an area which is federally designated as "medically underserved."

Immigration attorney, Angela Lopez, revisits the podcast to explain these requir...

The employment landscape is always changing and presenting new challenges for physicians. Dr. Yalda Jabbarpour, a family medicine physician and Director of the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies, joins Resolve CEO and attorney, Kyle Claussen, to discuss current family medicine physician employment trends. Dr. Jabbarpour references recent research concerning these trends and explains how physicians should make employment decisi...

For physicians on a J-1 visa, finding a first attending job and applying for a J-1 waiver is a lengthy process with many steps. It's crucial to start a job search as early as possible, so there will be enough time to find the right position, sign a contract, apply for a waiver, and have the application approved. Immigration attorney, Angela Lopez, returns to the podcast and discusses the timeline for physicians who are completing t...

In the event that one party is in breach of contract, liquidated damages define an amount of compensation that will be owed to the opposing party. Physician employers typically define liquidated damages for contract breaches where an exact damage amount could, in theory, be difficult to calculate—for example, if a physician leaves a job without giving the proper notice or violates a non-compete agreement.

Attorneys Kyle Claussen an...

A J-1 visa allows foreign medical graduates to participate in graduate medical training programs within the United States. However, once that training is complete, physicians on a J-1 visa must return to their home country for a minimum of two years before they can return to the U.S. and practice medicine as an attending. A J-1 visa waiver allows these physicians to circumvent the two-year foreign residence requirement. Angela Lope...

A force majeure, or "act of god," clause relieves both parties from their contractual obligations when unforeseen or uncontrollable events occur. These clauses typically come into play when a disaster, such as a hurricane or fire, takes place, rendering either party unable to fulfill their obligations. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, force majeure clauses have become more common in physician employment contracts. Attorneys Kyle Cl...

Guaranteeing the proper equipment and support staff in an employment contract can be important for certain physicians. Surgical specialists may need access to specific tools or robotics, and other physicians might want to ensure a PA or scribe will be working alongside them. Attorneys Kyle Claussen and Brady Glissendorf discuss when, why, and how equipment and support staff needs should be stipulated in a contract.

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Outside of expiration, an employment contract can generally be terminated in one of two ways - "for cause" or "without cause." While termination without cause does not require a specific reason, termination for cause is usually the result of some misconduct by either a physician or an employer. Attorneys Kyle Claussen and Skyler Mickelson detail some examples of termination for cause and explain how broad definitions of misconduct ...

Properly defined duties, responsibilities, and scheduling are often overlooked in physician employment contracts. These aspects of a job can appear straightforward, and are typically discussed during the interview process, but those conversations do not always translate well to an offer letter or contract. Attorneys Kyle Claussen and Brady Glissendorf explain how vague contract language about scheduling and other logistics of a job...

Negotiating an employment contract can be daunting, especially for new attending physicians. Medical school and training will seldom prepare physicians for the business side of medicine, which includes reviewing and negotiating contracts. While it is normal to feel apprehensive about negotiations, many fears surrounding the process are overexaggerated and it is extremely rare for things to go wrong. Attorneys Kyle Claussen and Bryc...