Wondering whether locum tenens is a good fit for your practice? Here are some of the most common ways that healthcare employers benefit from taking on locum tenens physicians and advanced-practice professionals.
Maintain proper physician coverage.
The most obvious benefit to hiring locum tenens physicians is being able to maintain proper physician coverage in your practice. Having the coverage you need is essential for keeping patients coming to your practice and for keeping the reputation of your practice up. Having proper physician coverage also means higher patient satisfaction, and higher patient satisfaction can in turn mean more referrals from patients.
Get more physician referrals.
Physician referrals are, of course, a major source of patient referrals—if not your primary source. Physicians expect high quality, reliable care for their patients, and they want needed tests and diagnoses performed in a timely manner. Hiring locum tenens physicians can help you maintain the coverage you need, and offer the access that physicians desire, to get these referrals.
Keep your permanent physicians.
Physicians, who often have demanding schedules and little to no time off, are prone to experiencing professional burnout. This means that physicians are always looking to work in an environment that will give them the freedom and flexibility then need to avoid burnout. Due to physician shortages, physicians are now, more than ever, in the position to simply say no to working environments that do not offer them the work-life balance they need. Hiring locum tenens physicians is a great way to meet pressing needs and get “off” hours covered while keeping your permanent physicians happy. Happy physicians make for better physician retention, and as a bonus happy physicians typically make for better care.
Provide routine care.
When you have high physician retention and proper physician coverage, you are better equipped to take on more complicated cases. And when you can take on more complicated cases, you can take on patients who will need to visit you on a regular basis.
Expand your service offerings.
Need to try out a new position at your practice? Hiring a locum tenens physician is a great way to try out offering a new service without the pressure of bringing someone on full-time.
Stay on budget.
A locum tenens physician may sound expensive when you consider that it will involve paying for travel and housing, plus extra for overtime and on-call duty. With a locum tenens physician, however, there are also costs that you are not paying, including FICA, benefits, malpractice premiums, and CME expenses. Moreover, locum tenens physicians more than pay for themselves in the professional service revenue they bring in. The benefits mentioned above, such as physician retention and higher patient satisfaction, can also make for smarter spending in the long run.
If you are in need of experienced locum tenens physicians for your practice, Fusion HealthCare Staffing can help find the perfect match for you. Contact us today at 855-537-8353 to discuss the details of your opportunity with an experienced staffing consultant.