Dr. Jacqui O’Kane took a job with a hospital in southern Georgia in 2020, as the lone doctor in a primary care clinic in a small town that’s a medically underserved area. She soon attracted nearly 3,000 patients.
But she said the hospital pressed her to take more new patients, so she had to work nights and weekends—not ideal for the mother of two young daughters. She thought about opening her own practice in town, which would give her more control over her schedule.
The problem was that her three-year contract included a noncompete clause barring her from practicing within 50 miles of the hospital for two years after it ended.
