Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland.
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland.
J Am Coll Radiol. 2014 Feb;11(2):145-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2013.03.014. Epub 2013 Jun 12.
Noncompete clauses (NCs) are common in many physician employment agreements, including those of radiologists. NCs restrict radiologists' ability to perform services for anyone other than their employers, not only during the term of employment but also for a period of time after employment ends. Although courts frown on the post-termination portion as a restraint of trade, in most states, NCs will be enforced if they are deemed reasonable in duration and geography. However the practice of radiology has changed. Teleradiology is common, and improvements in telecommunications and portable devices allow radiologists to perform their services virtually anywhere. In light of these changes, are NCs still necessary for radiologists?
Eighty-six University of Maryland radiology residency alumni for whom e-mail information was available were asked to complete an online survey regarding whether they are subject to NCs, the key terms of their NCs, and their views on the continuing usefulness of NCs. A review of all state and federal cases published in the Westlaw law database in which radiologists' NCs were adjudicated was also performed.
Twenty-one alumni from our residency program completed the survey, representing a 24.4% response rate; 57.1% of respondents are subject to NCs. Of that group, post-termination restrictions ranged from 1 to 2 years in duration, and geographic limitations ranged from 7 to >50 miles from the employer's practice. Respondents were split as to the impact of teleradiology, with 36.8% feeling that NCs are now more necessary and 26.3% feeling that NCs are less necessary. Searches of Westlaw revealed 7 cases on point, which upheld as reasonable NCs ranging from 1 to 5 years in duration and imposing geographic limitations of 15 to 40 miles from the employer's practice.
Although the practice of radiology has undergone significant changes, this survey shows that NCs are still widely used and are still being enforced in many courts. It is unclear whether NCs still make sense in today's practice, but it may be important to modify them to explicitly address the practice of teleradiology. NCs are common and have been upheld in court, although radiologists are split on their usefulness in this era of teleradiology. Contracts should specifically address teleradiology in NC provisions.
非竞争条款（NCs）在许多医师雇佣协议中很常见，包括放射科医师的协议。NCs 限制放射科医师为雇主以外的任何人提供服务的能力，不仅在雇佣期间，而且在雇佣结束后的一段时间内也是如此。尽管法院对终止雇佣后的部分内容持反对态度，认为这是对贸易的限制，但在大多数州，如果 NCs 在时间和地理上被认为是合理的，它们将被执行。然而，放射科的实践已经发生了变化。远程放射学很常见，电信和便携式设备的改进使放射科医师几乎可以在任何地方提供服务。鉴于这些变化，NCs 对放射科医师来说仍然有必要吗？
我们向马里兰大学 86 名放射学住院医师的校友发送了电子邮件，询问他们是否受到 NCs 的限制，NCs 的关键条款是什么，以及他们对 NCs 持续有用性的看法。我们还对在 Westlaw 法律数据库中公布的所有涉及放射科医师 NCs 的州和联邦案件进行了审查。
我们的住院医师项目中有 21 名校友完成了调查，回应率为 24.4%；57.1%的受访者受到 NCs 的限制。在这一组中，终止雇佣后的限制期限从 1 年到 2 年不等，地理限制范围从雇主执业地点的 7 英里到 >50 英里不等。受访者对远程放射学的影响存在分歧，36.8%的人认为 NCs 现在更有必要，而 26.3%的人认为 NCs 不那么有必要。Westlaw 的搜索结果显示了 7 个相关案例，这些案例支持了为期 1 年至 5 年的合理 NCs，并规定了从雇主执业地点的 15 英里至 40 英里的地理限制。
尽管放射科的实践已经发生了重大变化，但这项调查表明，NCs 仍然被广泛使用，并且在许多法院仍然被执行。目前还不清楚 NCs 在当今的远程放射学实践中是否还有意义，但修改它们以明确解决远程放射学的实践问题可能很重要。NCs 很常见，并且已经在法庭上得到支持，尽管放射科医生在这个远程放射学时代对它们的有用性存在分歧。合同应在 NC 条款中明确提及远程放射学。
