Many independent physicians are being bombarded with Medicare or Medicare Advantage incentive contracts over the past few years.
First, you should always have an attorney review these contracts.
Other contractual items to consider:
- What is the term length of the agreement? 5 years with no exit is too restrictive if your team is not familiar with a company and their track record on deliverables.
- For contracts that assume control over patient care management, do you have safeguards in place for non-solicitation of patients away from your clinic?
- What are the restrictive covenants regarding future competition or solicitation of patients or providers?
- Are the financial incentive terms even attainable by your clinic? Requirements to reach 85% annual wellness visit or 85% HCC diagnosis recapture rate or other high metrics not already being achieved by the clinic most likely will not be met in the future. This means the financial incentives will not be paid as metrics not met and there is no upside.
