We have found that there are many misperceptions surrounding TeamHealth within the emergency physician community. This page is intended to dispel some of those misperceptions by sharing with you the truth.
Q: How long has TeamHealth been around?
A: TeamHealth was founded in 1979 by emergency physicians, and today we continue to serve our very first client.
Q: In what states do you have opportunities?
A: We have emergency medicine jobs all across the country. View our current openings.
Q: Are your physicians employees or independent contractors?
A: We offer either independent contractor or employee contracts depending on the location.
Q: Do you provide professional liability insurance?
A: Yes, we provide all of our physicians with malpractice insurance through an A+ rated carrier at no cost to the physician. We also provide full tail coverage.
Q: Does TeamHealth require physicians to sign non-compete agreements?
A: No, TeamHealth’s standard physician contracts do not include non-compete agreements. TeamHealth fully supports a physician’s freedom to choose the practice model and geographic location that best suits his or her personal and professional needs.
Q: Does TeamHealth terminate physicians without cause or due process?
A: We maintain our reputation as a high quality organization by affiliating with physicians who are not only strong clinically, but who are also excellent communicators and team players. In the event that we have a physician who is not meeting the expectations of the hospital, and we determine the concern is founded, we offer that individual progressive counseling and multiple opportunities to correct the questionable behavior. If at that point a provider still chooses not to change his or her behavior, he/she will be removed from the schedule to provide a productive work environment for other members of the group and to support quality patient care. In the rare event that a provider’s behavior is so egregious as to be harmful, unethical or illegal, TeamHealth has a responsibility to the hospital, patients and staff to remove the physician immediately.
Q: Does TeamHealth value specialized training in emergency medicine?
A: TeamHealth continues to be a staunch supporter of specialty training in emergency medicine. We currently support several residency programs and post-graduate fellowships in emergency medicine. In an ideal world, every emergency department would be staffed by residency-trained, board-certified emergency physicians; however, the reality is that there is a woeful shortage of such physicians, and many tend to gravitate toward urban practices. In practice settings where we are unable to attract qualified EM-trained physicians, we must explore acceptable alternatives to provide care to these underserved regions. Non-EM trained physicians are performing a vital service to patients and should be appreciated and supported in their efforts. Given the realities of our time, emergency medicine leaders have a duty to embrace both the ideal and the practical.
Q: Does TeamHealth engage in the corporate practice of medicine?
A: No, TeamHealth does not in any way engage in the corporate practice of medicine at any of its locations. TeamHealth provides administrative services for its physicians, such as billing, scheduling, compliance and HIPAA education, accounting and reporting and offers these physicians continuing medical education and other information to support CQI. All of our affiliated physicians practice medicine without direction or control by TeamHealth, and the physicians make all patient care decisions based upon their own experience and judgment.
Q: What does TeamHealth’s status as a public company mean to a physician?
A: There is a common misperception that somehow being a public company is “bad.” In actuality, being public means that we have complete financial transparency. Our financial information is publicly available, enabling our physicians and employees the ability to observe first-hand our financial stability. So while some emergency groups have been unable to pay their physicians on time or have defaulted on paying tail coverage, TeamHealth has met its financial obligations 100% of the time. We are also able to invest in an infrastructure that supports patient care.
Q: Does TeamHealth pay its physicians competitive rates?
A: Yes, TeamHealth pays its physicians competitive rates. TeamHealth comprises some of the finest emergency physicians in the field. We wouldn’t be able to successfully recruit and retain high quality physicians if we didn’t offer competitive compensation. There are a wide variety of compensation packages available to emergency physicians. When evaluating compensation packages, there are a number of questions you should ask to ensure you are comparing apples to apples.
Q: Does TeamHealth value quality patient care?
A: TeamHealth values quality patient care above all else. TeamHealth was founded by emergency physicians, and it continues to be led by emergency physicians who recognize that the most important indicator of success is to achieve the best possible interaction between a patient, a TeamHealth physician, and an attending physician. Our goal as an organization is to provide the back-office infrastructure and support functions to facilitate positive patient interactions—and we do so more than 1,250 times every hour. As evidence of our commitment to quality patient care, fewer medical malpractice claims are brought against TeamHealth physicians when compared to the emergency medicine community average.
Q: What is better—the TeamHealth model or the “democratic” physician group model?
A: TeamHealth recognizes that there are a number of different practice options available to emergency physicians, and we support a physician’s freedom to choose the setting that best meets his or her needs and values. Unfortunately, there is a vocal minority within emergency medicine that seeks to restrict the practice options available to physicians. This group furthers its agenda by perpetuating a number of falsehoods about TeamHealth and other groups like ours. Young residents are a particular target of these types of statements. As a physician, you have been trained to approach situations objectively and to ask questions when something seems unclear. We ask that you use this same approach when evaluating TeamHealth. Rather than give undue credence to rumors and speculation, we encourage you to seek out the truth from physicians who currently work with our organization.
