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Don’t be surprised if more employers ask you to sign a contract directly with them. Direct contracting is on the rise again as employers try to reduce the escalating costs of health insurance by cutting out the plan middleman. But what does direct contracting mean for providers? You may have heard that there can be big advantages to a direct deal with an employer, but you may not be familiar with what those advantages are and how they can help you. If you understand the potential benefits of direct contracting, you can better evaluate any direct contract an employer offers you and judge whether it provides these advantages. And if the contract isn’t as advantageous as it could be, you’ll be prepared to raise those shortcomings with the employer or even refuse the deal.