Illinois College of Emergency Physicians Outreach to FTC to Enact Proposed Rule Ban on Non-Compete Clauses in Employment Contracts
Downers Grove, IL: The Illinois College of Emergency Physicians (ICEP), the Illinois chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), urges the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to finalize and enact the proposed rule categorically banning all non-compete clauses in our employment agreements. ICEP supports the commission’s proposal and urges urge it to finalize the regulation as proposed to help address the current anti-competitive conditions faced by many emergency physicians that limit their ability to free practice medicine and serve their communities.
In a letter to the FTC submitted in mid-April, ICEP emphasized the negative effects non-compete clauses have on emergency physicians in Illinois including the ability to provide quality care to their patients and the ability to advance their careers. Non-compete clauses limit options for employment, as they prevent emergency physicians from working for competitors or opening their own practices, therefore creating healthcare deserts without access to high-quality emergency care. These outcomes are particularly harmful in rural and underserved areas where access to medical care can be severely limited. By limiting their options for employment, these clauses can prevent emergency physicians from seeking out new opportunities to learn and grow as medical professionals. This can have a long-term impact on their ability to provide quality care to their patients.
Jason A. Kegg, MD, FACEP, ICEP President, notes “Individual physicians who have loyally practiced in a community for decades have had to sell their homes and move their families to other locations because their employers, often distant corporations, have given up their hospital contract and will not permit them to stay to work under their new “competitor.” Everyone loses: the community who knows them, the hospital, and the individual doctor.”
ICEP believes that this ban will help ensure that patients receive the care they need, while also giving emergency doctors the freedom and flexibility to advance their careers and continue to provide high-quality medical care.
The Illinois College of Emergency Physicians is the state medical specialty society representing more than 1,300 emergency physicians across Illinois. As the state chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, ICEP works to support quality emergency care. For more information, visit www.icep.org.