FREE — RED FLAG CONTRACT CHECKLIST
The contract provisions that quietly cost you.
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RED FLAG CHECKLIST · FAMILY MEDICINE
The contract provisions
that quietly cost you.
Data. Leverage. Fair pay.
Panel-based outpatient · specialty-specific
The provisions below are the ones most likely to cost family medicine physicians money, mobility, or leverage. Read each item against your contract and mark whether it is present, missing, or unclear. A single CRITICAL finding warrants careful review before signing.
THE RED FLAGS
5 CRITICAL · 8 HIGH · 2 MODERATE
wRVU rate with no named benchmark
A flat dollar-per-wRVU rate with no reference to 2025 national benchmarks gives the employer full discretion to call any rate market without contractual standard.
Panel size with no cap or productivity adjustment
An uncapped panel means unpaid workload as it grows — more messages, refills, results, and forms at the same pay. Require a cap or per-patient-above-threshold payment.
Claims-made malpractice, no tail commitment
Silence leaves who pays unresolved. Ask for employer-paid tail in writing for resignation, termination and nonrenewal; confirm the policy terms.
Compensation model not specified
If salary vs. wRVU vs. capitation vs. hybrid is ambiguous, the model can shift at renewal — a guaranteed base silently converting to production-only is the classic pattern.
Termination without cause under 90 days
Primary care credentialing runs 90–120 days. A 30- or 60-day without-cause window leaves no time to credential, relocate, or negotiate the next contract from strength.
Advance draw with no guaranteed floor
Biweekly advances against projected production without a guaranteed floor mean a year-end shortfall becomes a clawback you owe back.
HEDIS / quality bonus denominator controlled by employer
A bonus tied to system-level metrics or panel mix you didn't choose is structured not to pay out. The denominator, attribution, and physician influence path must be specified.
Unilateral schedule modification rights
Employer-discretion language over clinic days, site assignment, or session length strips your control over working life and family planning.
Non-compete over 10 miles or 2 years
Corporate primary care systems consolidate locally. An aggressive radius or duration can force relocation. Narrow scope and duration before signing.
Bonus threshold not tested against your workload
Test the threshold against your credited production, workload and payout period. Model low, expected and high-production payouts before counting the bonus as income.
Ambiguous call coverage language
Specify in-house vs. remote, number of call days per year, per-call rate, and whether after-hours responsibility is included in or additive to base. Ambiguity shifts unpaid work onto you.
No rate escalation clause
Without annual increases tied to inflation or a benchmark percentile, real compensation declines every year you remain. A flat multi-year rate is a multi-year pay cut.
Stark / self-referral language
Referral-linked pay can put your compensation at risk. Require written terms showing what earns credit and how the arrangement complies with applicable rules before signing.
Sign-on clawback with no pro-ration
Full repayment regardless of tenure treats the bonus as a leash rather than compensation. Negotiate pro-rata over 24 months and a waiver on without-cause termination.
Restrictive moonlighting clause
Broad bans on outside clinical work cap earning potential and remove income diversification. Restrict only true conflicts — same geography, same patient population.
For informational purposes only. Does not constitute legal advice.
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