Physician Employment Agreement Lawyers

Whether you’re reviewing offers at the end of residency, considering a new employment offer, or need to hire a physician, the contracts you execute define the future of employment relationships and have major implications for practitioners and practices alike.

At Hendershot Cowart, P.C., we help medical professionals review, draft, and negotiate the terms of employment agreements that can protect a medical practice without restricting a physician’s rights.

Just as you would never advise a patient to treat themselves without medical advice, you should not enter into a legal agreement without the counsel of an experienced attorney. Nationally recognized in both health and business law, our firm helps practitioners, practices, medical groups, and other healthcare professionals review, negotiate, draft, and restructure medical contracts of all types, including:

Physician employment agreements

Physician recruitment agreements

Non-compete agreements / restrictive covenants

Compensation plans, buy-in arrangements, bonus structures

Confidentiality and non-solicitation agreements

Medical director agreements

Exit strategies and buyout formulas

We also represent parties during contract disputes. Ambiguous language can lead to conflicting interpretations of clauses, or a party may intentionally and maliciously attempt to breach an agreement. No matter what led to your contract dispute, our legal team can review the language in all involved contracts and craft a legal strategy tailored to your situation.

Our attorneys review physician employment contracts and advise you against pitfalls that could have unintended consequences. Call 713-597-2908 today to set up a contract review and consultation with an experienced healthcare attorney.

Physician non-compete agreements protect both individual practitioners and provider organizations. Non-competes provide practices and hospitals with the ability to invest in new physicians and offer practitioners legal protections to continue in their field when an employment relationship ends.

Enforceable physician non-competes in Texas must meet requirements established by the Texas Business & Commerce Code, which generally require the employer:

Provide access to a list of patients whom the physician has seen or treated within one year of termination;

Allow the physician to treat acutely ill patients for as long as necessary after termination;

Have a process through which a physician can buy out their noncompete agreement; and

Provide access to patient records upon authorization of the patient.

Specific protections for physicians and patients create additional requirements, including:

Delivery of patient records in the format in which they have been maintained; and

Reasonable prices for copies of patient medical records.

If your physician employment contract does not provide for any of these rights, you should speak with us immediately. Our firm can draft or negotiate an agreement that ensures compliance with the Texas Business & Commerce Code while protecting your ability to earn a living. Call 713-397-2908 today to set up a contract review and consultation with an experienced healthcare attorney.

A lack of clarity or compliance with the law in any aspect of a physician employment agreement can lead to potential contractual disputes and litigation. Even when such agreements are crafted carefully, there still exists the potential for problems, as well as intentional or malicious breaches of contract. Our legal team leverages our experience in business litigation to help practitioners and providers with enforcement of medical contracts and defense against medical contract claims.

Numerous regulatory requirements govern transactions and business dealings involving healthcare professionals and facilities. The Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, Texas’ Corporate Practice of Medicine prohibition, and other laws and regulations all affect which parties can be involved in a transaction and how the transaction should be structured. Our health and medical law attorneys regularly assist our clients with individualized compliance programs for all types and sizes of healthcare entities, including practices, clinics, and hospitals.

If state or federal government agencies do conduct investigations, we are well versed and experienced in handling audits, investigations, civil investigative demands, subpoenas, interviews, document production, hearings, and trials – and will prepare a strong and aggressive defense for you.

And let you get back to business.

We take a vested interest in our clients' success – from start to finish.

As a boutique law firm, we unite real experience with personal attention.

We handle matters from the Red River to the Rio Grande and beyond.

Let us put the full force of our 100+ years of combined experience to work for you.

Hendershot Cowart P.C. is a recognized Texas leader in healthcare and business law. By operating on the belief that an “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” we leverage our insight and experience to help healthcare providers across the state navigate the unique hurdles of their start-ups, mergers, and joint ventures. Our team understands how to lay a legal foundation that protects your practice today and into the future.

"I would recommend the team at Hendershot Cowart to anyone. I gave them a call when everyone locally had turned me down on a matter in which I had only a couple of days left to respond."

- K.H.

"Great experience with HCP, they were extremely responsive to my request and thorough in the review and advisement of needed counsel. Would highly recommend HCP for legal services."

– C. B.

"Been Working with these folks for around two years now. I have multiple people on the team who constantly have my back. I've had to ask for immediate help multiple times. They've always come through for me."

- R.P.