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MANAGED CARE

Q&A I am a pediatrician who is just about to sign a managed care contract. Should I hire a lawyer to help me review the contract and its components? Also, what are some of the basic issues that my contract should address, and are there any issues specific to pediatrics?

It was not so long ago that most physicians dealt primarily in a fee-for-service environment and thus were rarely faced with the need to sign a contract to provide patient care. But as preferred provider organizations flourished, more and more physicians began signing their first major contracts. Most physicians merely reviewed the contract section describing the discounted fee-for-service schedule, however, and without much hesitation, signed the contract.