The Pros and Cons of Locum Tenens for Hospitalists

The Hospitalist. 2012 December;2012(12):

December 1, 2012 | The Hospitalist

“We’re recruiting doctors who were full-time doctors, permanent doctors. There are a lot of people making that switch,” she says. “I think there’s not only increased demand for patient care, but there’s also a shortage of physicians out there willing to accept full-time jobs because now they see this other way of life and they’re willing to do that.”

Daeffler

Dr. Manning says that quality locum firms can take advantage of that situation by continually recruiting the strongest physicians.

“When you find a good company providing you physicians that want to work and do their job and are patient-friendly, you just need to go with it,” he says. “The only problem, is you’re going to pay more for it.”

Jason Daeffler, a marketing director for Barton, adds that the physician shortage in the coming years will only exacerbate the issue of staffing issues at hospitals. He says supplementing full-time hospitalists with locum doctors will offer HM group leaders the scheduling flexibility needed to maintain optimal coverage levels and maximize revenue generation. HM groups without that leverage could struggle to cover all shifts as effectively, he adds.

Plus, physicians who take on locum tenens work will create financial flexibility for themselves at a time when payrolls are under tremendous pressure from C-suite executives looking to trim budgets. Individually, each factor might not be as powerful, but when combined, Stolgitis says the stage is set for continued success.

“You’re going to see more and more locum tenens in the future,” she says. “Whether you’re looking at the retiree population, physicians right out of residency or fellowship training, or someone who’s been working two or three years...they are beginning to see locum tenens as a better lifestyle for them.”

Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.

A Part-Timer By Any Other Name

Temporary physicians most often fall into two loose definitions of part-time employee:

Moonlighter: Most often refers to a physician picking up a shift here and there. Often useful to staff particularly hard-to-fill shifts, such as overnights and holidays. Typically, moonlighters have a full-time position and take the shift work to generate extra revenue.

Locum tenens: A formalized agreement to hire a full-time physician for a given period of time. The setup has become so popular that analyst firm Staffing Industry Associates recently estimated the recruitment and placement of locum tenens physicians as a $2 billion segment of the staffing industry.

References

Caveat Medicus, or Doctor Beware

Individual physicians or HM group leaders looking to work with a temporary staffing company should do their homework. The National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations (NALTO) suggests:

Check if the company provides malpractice insurance for their physicians. Most locum companies provide coverage, but if they don’t, make sure payment responsibilities are ironed out up front.
Ask the staffing agency about their payroll history. Locums are paid by the agency, so a doctor who stops getting paid could cease working immediately, causing a staffing problem for the group.
Review the firm’s suite of services to ensure that licensure, credentialing, hospital privileges, and other issues are taken care of before a physician begins work.

For more information, contact NALTO at 404-774-7880 or visit www.nalto.org.