Section 10322 - [Effective 1/1/2025] Legislative intentThe General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) Patient access to health care in this Commonwealth often depends on geography, transportation and availability of practitioners.(2) Seventy-five percent of physicians are employed by hospitals, health care systems or corporate entities.(3) Consolidated hospital systems increasingly stretch over broad geographic regions, meaning that a hospital network's noncompete clause can prevent health care practitioners from practicing in large areas of this Commonwealth, well beyond their initial employment location.(4) Noncompete covenants in health care inhibit competition that benefits employees and patients and can deter needed health care practitioners from wanting to practice in Pennsylvania.(5) Providers constrained by noncompete covenants have less freedom of practice for fear of losing employment and being unable to work in their profession.(6) Most rural areas of Pennsylvania can be considered health care deserts in which patients must travel two or three hours for their basic health care needs.(7) Continuity of care is a fundamental public policy goal that can help patients achieve their health care goals and build trust with their health care practitioners.(8) This Commonwealth cannot afford to continue losing health care practitioners to surrounding states and must do more to attract and retain them.Added by P.L. (number not assigned at time of publication) 2024 No. 74,§ 2, eff. 1/1/2025.