What should I ask for beyond salary?

Base pay at hospitals is usually set within a fair-market-value range, and offers above the 75th percentile can trigger internal review. The negotiable space is more often in the terms around it: signing bonus, relocation, loan repayment, CME, call pay, tail, and the exit terms.

Rank asks by what they cost the employer and what they are worth to you. Proration costs the employer little and can save you tens of thousands if you leave early; employer-paid tail transfers a six-figure risk; a call cap changes your hours every week. A higher base is simple cash and often the hardest to move.

Put every agreed term in the contract or a signed amendment, with numbers and effective dates. A verbal promise about tail or call does not survive a change of manager.

Actions that follow from the numbers

1. Pick the three terms that would change your decision and ask for those first. Compare offers
2. Use model proration and tail language as a starting point, then have counsel review it. Check a contract
3. Get the final terms in the contract, not the offer letter.

What could change this

Each condition below would change the conclusion above. If one applies, re-run the numbers before acting on this answer.

• The employer's pay band has room above the offer — base becomes negotiable and the ranking of asks changes.
• The package includes partnership, equity, or a buy-in — different valuation questions dominate.
• You already have tail coverage or minimal call — your top asks differ from the general ranking.

When the numbers aren't enough

• The package includes partnership, equity or a practice buy-in.
• The employer will not put a verbal concession in the contract.
• You are being asked to accept a non-compete beyond your state's limit as part of the deal.

Sources

• AMA Code of Medical Ethics: Restrictive Covenants
• CMS: CY 2026 Physician Fee Schedule final rule