Why You Should have a Lawyer Review your Employment Contract

The Importance of Contract Review Services

Many physicians believe they can review and negotiate an employment contract just as well as a lawyer. For sure, physicians are extremely intelligent, and can perform some of the tasks that lawyers do, but not all of them. There are at least three reasons that physicians should still engage a contract lawyer, even when they believe they can perform the review and negotiation themselves.

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4 Ways the Affordable Care Act is Impacting Physicians

Heraclitus, the famous Greek philosopher said “The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change -”

Our team could research and write for weeks on various topics related to the implementation of Affordable Care Act – how it affects patient care, changes to how healthcare is delivered in the United States, its impact on how hospitals and private practices are operated, etc.

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Contract Review – Can I Get That In Writing?

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In previous posts, I’ve highlighted the importance of understanding certain language in an employment contract that could come back to haunt you if not handled correctly. We discussed the forgiveness period as it pertains to loan repayment and the difference between “claims-made” versus “occurrence” malpractice insurance. But what other terms and conditions in your contract are either unclear or simply missing altogether? Remember, if a dispute arises, the written contract will trump an oral agreement.

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“Claims-made” vs. “Occurrence-based” Malpractice Insurance Coverage

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Our physician-clients approach us with many questions regarding malpractice insurance coverage. The most common ones are “what kind of malpractice insurance is the employer providing me?” and “who will pay for tail coverage if I leave the employer?”

Nowadays, most employers pay for malpractice insurance for their practicing physicians, especially for beginning and non-shareholder physicians.

The details of the policy should be laid out in the physician employment contract and policy documents. So, relatively speaking, this issue is rarely negotiated – most of the time it’s already in the contract!

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The Importance of Life and Disability Insurance

It may seem like just another added expense to pay each month, but Life and Disability Insurance is a necessity for physicians. We all have a bit of “It will never happen to me” syndrome, but this is a case where it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry.

As a physician, you probably carry a hefty student loan balance (unless you’ve paid it off, in that case, congratulations). You also probably make more money than your spouse. If an accident happens and you’re disabled, any debt you have won’t just disappear – even though your income may.

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Malpractice in 2024: What Physicians Need to Know

Malpractice is one of those things you hope you’ll never deal with. For many doctors, it feels distant—something that happens to someone else. But the truth is that anyone can get sued, no matter how careful or well-meaning they are. And when it does, the costs—financial, emotional, and professional—can be high. The 2024 Physicians and … Read more

Employment and Income Changes

When a doctor changes jobs or their income increases, their disability income protection plan may need to change. It is during this time that physicians should review their disability insurance plans to see how it is impacted.

In light of these changes, let’s take a look at the rules that govern how physicians can set up their disability insurance plan. For example, the monthly benefit amount doctors qualify for depends on the stage of their career.

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New Employer Insurance Plans

Be prepared for the transition to a new employer by obtaining private disability insurance before the employer paid plan restricts what you can get.

Many employers have a standard benefits package that includes multiple insurance plans. Physicians who join new employers often don’t realize that the employer paid disability insurance plan can restrict what the doctor can obtain. Privately owned disability insurance plans that have been started before joining a new employer are not reduced by what the employer offers, but signing up for a private plan afterward may significantly reduce or prohibit the doctor’s ability to get a private plan altogether.

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Taxes, Job Search and Malpractice Insurance Premiums

New Tax Legislation: How does it affect physicians?

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law on January 2, 2012. It includes new tax rates, restrictions on itemized deductions and exemptions, and extensions of certain deductions and credits. This act affects physicians the same way it affects others who make salaries approaching the law’s new limits.

For example, the new tax rate for married-filing-jointly taxpayers who make more than $450,000 in 2013 will rise to 39.5%. For those with taxable income of more than $450,000, capital gains rates will increase to as much as 20%. On the other hand, if you are still in residency or fellowship, and you happen to have some money available to buy a house, you might want to do that soon. The zero-percent capital gains rate is still in place for those who make less than $72,500 (joint) or $36,250 (single).

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