Reprinted with Permission from the Medical Association of the State of Alabama

Several studies show that the total cost of losing an employee can range from tens of thousands of dollars to 150 percent of the employee's annual salary. There are also the "soft costs" of losing an employee, including lost productivity and lower employee morale if the practice incurs high turnover rates. According to a survey by the Medical Group Management Association, 50 percent of respondents reported that clinical support staff positions, such as nurses and clinical assistants, had the most turnover. When these employees leave a medical practice, they may also take with them valuable, confidential information, including patient lists, fee schedules and vendor contracts.

From a legal (and practical) standpoint, it is very difficult to prevent an employee from leaving a medical practice, but you can implement several strategies to limit the adverse impact.

First, for certain "high-level" employees, the practice can require each employee to sign a non-compete agreement. A typical non-compete agreement would prevent the departing employee from working in a competing business for a certain period of time within a designated area. For a non-compete to be enforceable in Alabama it must be reasonable as to geographic scope (e.g., the service area of the medical practice) and as to duration (e.g., up to two years is presumed reasonable). Further, the non-compete must serve to protect the practice's "protectable interests," which includes the practice's confidential information (e.g., pricing and patient lists and vendor information) and specialized training provided by the practice to its employees. A non-compete should only be used for employees that hold a position "uniquely essential" to the management, organization or service of the practice. Accordingly, a properly drafted non-compete for an administrator or other high-level employees should be enforceable, but a non-compete should not be used, for example, with a receptionist. Further, in Alabama non-compete agreements cannot be used with professionals, which have been defined by the courts to include physicians and physical therapists. Other clinicians that exercise independent, clinical judgment may also fall within this "professional exemption."

Download the entire article "Protecting One of Your Most Valuable Assets - Your Employees" written by Howard E. Bogard.