If It Is Not Written, It Is Not a Term: The Locum Agreement Questions Physicians Cannot Leave Verbal

The working agreement is the written agreement

Recruiting conversations move quickly. Scope may be explained on a call, travel discussed by email, and call coverage clarified in a text. Those conversations can be useful, but the supplied materials make a disciplined point: a material promise that matters to the physician should be found in the governing written agreement before signature.

Dr. Cooper states publicly that his locum experience shaped The Locums Heart Surgeon and that the book addresses contracts, licensing, taxes, malpractice, agency dynamics, and direct contracting. That confirms the lived source context for this issue-spotting draft, while all legal interpretation remains reserved for qualified counsel.

Many contracts contain an integration clause stating that the written document is the complete agreement. Whether and how a clause applies is a legal question. The practical issue for the physician is simpler: do not rely on a material term that cannot be located and reviewed in writing.

1. Does the document describe the actual work?

Compare the written scope with the assignment as presented. Look for the clinical services, location, schedule, call, handoffs, backup, and escalation structure that shaped the decision to accept. Broad phrases that could expand duties deserve clarification.

The agreement should also make clear how a material change is handled. If the facility asks for different coverage after the engagement begins, what process documents agreement to that change?

2. Are compensation, expenses, and cancellation clear?

Identify how compensation is calculated, what time or services are covered, how records are approved, and when payment is due under the agreement. Travel, lodging, licensing, and other expenses should be described with enough specificity to understand what is covered and how reimbursement works.

Review cancellation and call-off provisions from both directions. What happens if the facility cancels scheduled coverage? What notice does the physician owe? Do the verbal expectations and written terms match?

3. What professional liability arrangement applies?

The supplied sources repeatedly flag professional liability as a subject that should not remain vague. Identify the policy type, stated limits, named insured, coverage period, and who is responsible for any required extended reporting coverage. Ask how claims are handled and whether the agreement addresses settlement decisions.

These are not terms to interpret casually. A qualified insurance professional or healthcare attorney can explain how the actual policy and contract work together.

4. How does the relationship end or restrict future work?

Read termination, notice, restrictive-covenant, non-solicitation, assignment, and dispute-resolution language. Understand what each party can do, what notice is required, and whether the terms affect future work with the facility or through another channel.

If an agency presents the physician to a facility, ask how presentation rights are defined and recorded. The legal effect varies, but the operational lesson is consistent: keep a submission record and resolve overlapping presentations before they become a dispute.

5. What deserves independent review?

A physician should not be expected to become a healthcare attorney or insurance specialist. The decision is when the stakes, unfamiliar language, or asymmetry justify independent review. Liability, indemnification, restrictive language, termination, dispute resolution, and non-standard compensation structures are examples the source materials flag for particular attention.

The close is not “never trust a conversation.” It is “make the record match the decision.” Confirm the material terms, request corrections before signing, keep the final executed copy, and obtain qualified advice where the document exceeds the physician’s expertise.