Leaving Employed Medicine: What Physicians Need to Know Before They Go
Leaving an employed physician position is one of the most consequential professional decisions a physician makes. Here's the honest picture of what's involved — legally, practically, and professionally.
Before You Give Notice
Review your employment contract
Non-compete scope (geographic area, specialty restrictions, duration), notice requirements, moonlighting restrictions, and any restrictive covenants. Have a healthcare attorney review the contract — not a general employment attorney.
Understand your malpractice situation
Claims-made policies require tail coverage when you leave. Occurrence-based policies don't. Know which you have and what tail coverage will cost — it's often 1-3x your annual premium.
Know your patient notification rights
Patients have the right to know their physician is leaving and to choose their next provider. State laws on how and when you can communicate with patients vary. Don't assume your employer's restrictions are legally enforceable — verify with counsel.
Plan for credentialing
Insurance credentialing takes 90-180 days in many cases. If you need payer contracts, start the process before you leave if possible — or plan for a period of direct-pay or limited coverage.
What Actually Takes the Longest
Most physicians overestimate how long it takes to set up the tools and underestimate how long legal/administrative processes take. Your EHR, practice management system, and AI scribe can be operational in days. Your non-compete waiting period, credentialing, and office lease negotiation will take months.
Use the waiting period productively: set up your practice infrastructure, get your tools in place, prepare your workflows. When the non-compete period ends and credentialing clears, you should be able to see patients within days.
Tools for Day One
Independent physicians who want to eliminate the documentation burden from the start should have an AI scribe operational from day one. NoPajamaTime uses a clinician-reviewed copy/paste handoff into the existing EHR, requires no IT setup, and starts immediately — so your first day of independent practice is also your first day without pajama time.
Set up NoPajamaTime before your first day
uses a clinician-reviewed copy/paste handoff into the existing EHR, no IT required. Start with the free 24-hour proof to create and review one note before choosing a tool.