Jay Wolfson, PhD, a health policy expert at the University of South Florida in Tampa, said this case “goes to the heart of physician clinical autonomy.”
Hospitals use various methods to ensure that physicians refer patients to its own entities, including non-compete agreements that prohibit doctors from practicing medicine in a set geographic area around their place of employment during their contract, or even after termination.
A 2018 survey of 2,000 doctors in five states found that 45% of primary care physicians were bound by this sort of non-compete agreement, though hospital-based physicians are less likely to be restricted by these clauses.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/84571
Forum for Healthcare Freedom 