1. To enhance access to care. “A locum tenens physician can restore access in a shortage area,” Ms. Glover says. For example, a general surgeon may have retired or left town. Staff Care’s placement rate varies by specialty and region, ranging from 25 percent of requests to as high as 80 percent.
2. To avert loss of revenue. “If there is a shortage or an complete lack of a particular specialty, the hospital or practice forgoes all the revenue derived from it,” Ms. Glover says. For a hospital, the loss in revenue can be many times greater than the cost of bringing in a physician.
3. To prevent physician burnout. In Staff Care’s survey, 53 percent of hospitals and practices required shorter-term coverage such as for physicians on vacation or attending a conference. In addition, 4 percent had seasonal needs, such as orthopedic practices in a ski area requiring extra physicians in the winter.
4. When looking for a permanent physician. In Staff Care’s survey, 63 percent of hospitals and practices using locum tenens services were trying to recruit a permanent physician. Ms. Glover says it is often easier to place a locum tenens physician in isolated areas where recruiting a full-time physician is very challenging, because the locum tenens physician does not expect to be there very long.
5. To fill some specialist positions. While psychiatrists and primary care physicians were the most sought-after specialties in the survey, accounting for 22 percent and 20 percent of surveyed hospitals and practices respectively, anesthesia providers accounted for 11 percent and surgeons for 7 percent. Surgical specialties most in demand included general surgery and general orthopedics.
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