White Coat Investor Podcast

WCI #133: What Physicians Need to Know About Contract Negotiation

17 snips
Nov 21, 2019
John Apino, founder of Contract Diagnostics who advises physicians on employment contracts. He explains why contracts set expectations, what typical contract sections cover, and who should review them. Short sentences cover negotiable items, pay models and call compensation, non‑competes, locum pitfalls, and when to hire help. Practical, focused, and directly useful to anyone facing a physician contract.
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ADVICE

Clarify Call Pay And Caps Up Front

  • Clarify whether call coverage is 'baked in' to salary or paid separately and ask for caps and per-call rates.
  • In shortage specialties or hard-to-recruit markets, negotiate explicit call compensation and caps to avoid excessive burden.
ADVICE

Shorten Partnership With Measurable Terms

  • To speed partnership, propose measurable early-performance metrics or trade salary for faster buy‑in.
  • Ask what would make the practice 'thrilled' and tie partnership timing to concrete production milestones.
ANECDOTE

Hidden Tail Insurance Shock

  • A physician discovered after signing that her prior contract required her to buy a tail policy costing about $160,000.
  • Lack of contract review left her with an unexpected, unaffordable malpractice bill when leaving the job.
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