Mon. May 20th, 2024

The healthcare system is a mess right now. Hospitals are financially struggling. There is now a possibility that the noncompete clauses in contracts could be nullified. You may be thinking of jumping ship and finally starting your Direct Primary Care practice. Great! But beware.

First, hospitals always, always claim they have financial troubles. It’s Administrator 101. They cry about their budget issues EVERY YEAR yet they are always building a new wing or paying their CEO millions. It reminds me of the movie Men in Black and this scene:

Second, DO NOT believe that your noncompete clause is null and void. This will be fought and fought in courts. I have heard that nonprofit hospitals are excluded from this (correct me if I am wrong) and coincidentally over 90% of hospitals are so-called nonprofit.

Remember, if you are leaving then reread and understand what is in your contract. Know how far you have to move. Make sure you don’t go into the EHR and get your patients email addresses. That leaves a digital fingerprint! There are ways to do this but I mention this all in my book.

Be smart. You have only one shot at this.

Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?

Don’t screw it up because these administrators want to sue to make an example of you.

You have been warned!

183340cookie-checkPreparing to Leave Your Employed Position? Beware.
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By Douglas Farrago, MD

Douglas Farrago MD is board certified in the specialty of Family Practice. He is the inventor of a product called the Knee Saver which is currently in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Knee Saver and its knock-offs are worn by many major league baseball catchers. He is also the inventor of the CryoHelmet used by athletes for head injuries as well as migraine sufferers. From 2001 – 2011, Dr. Farrago was the editor and creator of the Placebo Journal which ran for 10 full years. Described as the Mad Magazine for doctors, he and the Placebo Journal were featured in the Washington Post, US News and World Report, the AP, and the NY Times. Douglas Farrago, MD received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia in 1987, his Masters of Education degree in the area of Exercise Science from the University of Houston in 1990, and his Medical Degree from the University of Texas at Houston in 1994. His residency training occurred way up north at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine. In his final year, he was elected Chief Resident by his peers. Dr. Farrago has practiced family medicine for twenty-three years, first in Auburn, Maine and now in Forest, Virginia. He founded Forest Direct Primary Care in 2014, which quickly filled in 18 months. Dr. Farrago still blogs every day on his website Authenticmedicine.com and lectures worldwide about the present crisis in our healthcare system and the effect it has on the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Farrago’s has written three books on direct primary care: The Official Guide to Starting Your Own Direct Primary Care Practice, The Direct Primary Care Doctor’s Daily Motivational Journal and Slowing the Churn in Direct Primary Care (While Also Keeping Your Sanity) are all best sellers in this genre. He is a leading expert in direct primary care model and lectures medical students, residents, and doctors on how to start their own DPC practice. He retired from clinical medicine in October, 2020.

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