PC-owner hiring checklist for MSOs

Document the services, patient locations, clinical team, payment model and entity structure. Identify whether you need a new PC owner, a replacement owner or an additional owner. State rules differ; a model used in one state is not automatically appropriate elsewhere.

• List every relevant state and the required licenses.
• Describe the proposed entity and existing owners.
• Explain any proposed transfer, launch or expansion timeline.
• Ask healthcare counsel to confirm eligible ownership and any program-specific requirements.

Describe how the physician can exercise independent clinical judgment in practice. Review management, succession, financing and other agreements together. Ownership rights can be undermined by control elsewhere in the arrangement.

• Define authority over clinical policies and care decisions.
• Document access to records, finances and necessary operational information.
• Explain how clinical personnel decisions and escalation will work.
• Have counsel review removal, transfer, succession and dispute provisions.

Interview for relevant practice and governance experience. Verify credentials directly with the appropriate sources, and confirm that the candidate can perform the work. A preview profile or course enrollment does not establish current licensing, screening or availability.

• Check current licenses with the relevant state boards.
• Review professional history, references and disciplinary disclosures.
• Evaluate any additional credentialing or exclusion checks your setting requires.
• Discuss other engagements, conflicts and actual time capacity.

Separate ownership responsibilities from medical director, advisory and patient-care duties. Set compensation for the defined work and clarify which entity pays each expense.

• Specify meetings, reviews, time commitment and coverage.
• Agree on physician compensation and payment timing.
• Review insurance, indemnification and professional adviser costs.
• Document exit, continuity, records access and handover responsibilities.

Include the states, care model, ownership structure, required experience, authority, time expectations and compensation approach. Describe what is already established and what remains subject to professional review. Keep private patient or sensitive business information out of public descriptions.

• Use a specific title and separate any additional clinical duties.
• Describe your interview and verification process.
• Confirm responsibilities and agreements before engaging a physician.

Use the relevant state licensing boards to verify licenses and disciplinary information. FSMB’s state board directory links to those boards. For applicable exclusions screening, consult the HHS OIG exclusions resources.

For California ownership and clinical-control questions, read the California CPOM guide with legislative and enforcement sources and the Medical Board’s practice guidance. These hiring guides are general information; your advisers should assess your specific structure and obligations.