Approximately 60% of employed physicians were required to sign a noncompete when starting their jobs, limiting the ability to practice at other facilities locally, according to a survey from NORC at the University of Chicago.
The survey, which was commissioned by the Physicians Advocacy Institute, surveyed a sample of 1,000 physicians employed by a hospital or health system, venture capital or private equity firm, health insurance company or subsidiary, or staffing agency from July 17 to Aug. 7.
While noncompetes are banned in six states, nearly half of physicians are still impacted by noncompete clauses, according to a report from the American Medical Association.
Seven other states, including California, New York and Wisconsin, are actively targeting noncompetes while the FTC continues moving to ban them nationwide.
Nearly 60% of physicians believe that nonphysician ownership of practices results in a lower quality of patient care, while only 18% of respondents believe that corporate ownership of medical practices has improved quality of care, according to the survey.