What to Do Before You Get Your Physician Contract

Your contract isn’t the first step—vetting your employer is.

Before you even see an offer, you need to evaluate the group, hospital, or practice to make sure it’s a good fit.

A great contract means nothing if you sign on with a toxic work environment, unethical leadership, or unrealistic expectations.

Here’s how to dig deeper before committing.

Your future colleagues matter.

🚨 Do the physicians collaborate, or is there tension?
🚨 Does the leadership value work-life balance?
🚨 Are newer hires being mentored or left to struggle?

Talk to multiple people:
✅ Support staff – They see how physicians are treated daily.
✅ Recently hired physicians – They’ve been in your shoes.
✅ Former employees – They’ll give you the most honest feedback.

If past employees left on bad terms, find out why.

Your contract may spell out your salary, but does it align with the actual workload?

💡 How many daily patient encounters are expected?
💡 Will you be responsible for developing your own referrals?
💡 Will you work in multiple locations or just one?
💡 How does the group make major decisions?
💡 Who manages the physicians? Is it a peer or an administrator?

The answers will shape your daily experience—not just your paycheck.

🚩 High turnover – Why are doctors leaving?
🚩 Unclear leadership – Who actually makes decisions?
🚩 Unrealistic expectations – Is the workload sustainable?
🚩 Ethical concerns – Run if there’s any sign of fraudulent billing, like "upcoding" (billing higher than services provided).

If a practice has a history of legal or compliance issues, your reputation (and ability to work with Medicare) could be at risk.

If considering hospital employment, look beyond the salary.

⚖️ Who makes the decisions—physicians or hospital administrators?
💰 What’s the payor mix? (A high percentage of Medicaid patients may mean lower reimbursement.)
📅 How are call schedules and vacation time determined?

Hospital contracts can seem stable, but if admin-heavy decision-making is slowing down operations, your day-to-day experience may suffer.

Before negotiating any contract, make sure the job is truly right for you.

📌 Observe the workplace culture.
📌 Ask the hard questions.
📌 Watch for red flags.
📌 Know how decisions are made.

A bad fit can’t be fixed by a good contract.

Do your homework first—then negotiate from a position of strength.