Astute Physician

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – a phrase applicable in the practice of medicine and also in the practice of commercial real estate law. Having a commercial lease that properly suits your business is a key factor in the “health” of your medical practice. Therefore, before you enter into a lease for medical office space, you should carefully review and evaluate the terms of the lease and negotiate key deal points. If the broker or your prospective landlord tells you that the terms of the lease are not negotiable, do not be dissuaded. In the current real estate recession, you may have more leverage to negotiate desirable concessions or at least those that are deal breakers for you or your practice.

by Relief Jones, III, M.D.
Founder & CEO, Astute Physician

(Astute Physician) — I am always surprised to hear of physicians who are willing to work for a fraction of what they should be earning. This is probably a more common occurrence in larger, more competitive cities like New York or San Francisco. But recently, I’ve started hearing of physicians being severely underpaid in somewhat smaller cities and rural regions of the country. I recall a conversation with my healthcare attorney not long ago. She said that she had seen physicians accept employment contracts offering them less than some nurses and physician’s assistants had been offered. This really got my mind going, and I started to wonder why physicians were so apt to severely undervalue themselves in the healthcare marketplace?