Covenants-not-to-compete restrict competition, can disrupt continuity of care, and may limit access to care.
Physicians should not enter into covenants that:
- Unreasonably restrict the right of a physician to practice medicine for a specified period of time or in a specified geographic area on termination of a contractual relationship; and
- Do not make reasonable accommodation for patients’ choice of physician.
Physicians in training should not be asked to sign covenants not to compete as a condition of entry into any residency or fellowship program.
AMA Principles of Medical Ethics: III, IV, VI, VII
Read the Principles