Physician Services

Recruiting a new staff member? As you’ve probably discovered, many rules and regulations govern physician recruitment.

They include the Stark law, the federal anti-kickback statutes, IRS regulations for tax-exempt organizations and applicable state laws. And after you recruit new physicians, you will need to ensure that they have the appropriate credentials.

It pays to have all physician employment agreements drafted or reviewed by an experienced healthcare attorney for conformity with employment and compliance regulations. And all transactions with hospital involvement should be carefully reviewed by legal counsel for all parties.

In some cases, hospitals have been willing to help practices recruit physicians if the hospital can demonstrate a need based on physician scarcity by specialty. Practices that are looking to recruit a new physician into their practice should consider speaking with hospital administration about the potential ways in which the hospital may be able to offer financial support. Undoubtedly, hospital involvement will mean more requirements and paperwork.

Keep in mind that the earlier you’re able to enter into an employment relationship with a physician, the bigger the jumpstart you will have on credentialing. Physician credentialing for a new physician can take any time from three to nine months, depending on the insurance carrier.

The biggest mistake a practice can make is to have physicians fail to get reimbursed for patients they have seen because the physicians are not yet credentialed with the insurance plans.