The AOA is circulating a sign-on letter in response to the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed rule banning the use of non-compete clauses in employment contracts and WAOPS has signed on in support.

The rule would designate the use of such clauses as an unfair method of competition under the FTC Act. The AOA is circulating this sign-on to express the osteopathic physician community's support for this effort. Overall, the letter:

• Highlights the osteopathic community’s support for FTC efforts to address inappropriate use of non-compete clauses
• Highlights concerns regarding the impact non-competes have on driving market consolidation and limiting patient access to physicians
• Expresses the need to evaluate the impact the rule will have on small/independent practices relative to large systems and the potential need to create a narrowly tailored exception that could be constructed around an organization’s revenue and market share. This could help support small practices in highly concentrated markets competing against large health systems

View the letter here.