Can I fire a physician immediately for breaching their contract?

You have a physician whom you’ve invested a lot of time and energy in recruiting and training. Maybe you’ve built your facility’s reputation on the expertise or experience that they bring to the table. It can be difficult to let them go. However, if they breach the terms of their contract, it may be warranted. There are a few factors that you should take into account before you fire a doctor if you want to avoid being sued.

You may be motivated to let a doctor who has engaged in wrongdoing go right away. However, you should consult the contract that you had them sign to make sure that you’re providing the notification that it requires.

There may be some instances outlined in it that allow you to end the agreement right away, such as if they’re convicted of a crime or lose their medical license. However, you may not be able to do so simply because they’re accused of malpractice. You may also be unable to let them go solely because they got a negative online review that affected the clinic’s reputation.

Another reason that you’ll want to consult your contract before terminating one of your physicians is to see whether you agreed to offer them compensation and bridge-the-gap medical malpractice insurance coverage upon their firing. You’ll also want to review your noncompete agreement to see what it says about them getting a new job. You may want to keep it on hand in case you have to enforce it.

If you let a Florida physician go from their job without adhering to the terms of your agreement, then you could face a breach of contract suit for thousands, if not millions, of dollars. An attorney can review your agreement to advise you of how to let a physician go without opening yourself up to a financial loss.