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Physician Contract Glossary · Contract Structure

Commencement Date

The commencement date is the official start of your employment, and it triggers compensation, benefits, and credentialing timelines.

The commencement date is when your employment formally begins. It is the clock that starts your salary, your benefits eligibility, your vesting schedules, and the countdown on any restrictive covenant. It interacts with credentialing: if you cannot bill until credentialing clears, a start date set before you are credentialed can mean weeks of work the practice collects nothing on.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Align your start date with the realistic end of credentialing. Starting before you can bill, or before your previous tail coverage ends, can cost you income or leave a malpractice gap.

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