A few years ago, officials at Western Maryland Health System in Cumberland, Md. confronted what has become a common issue in this age of physician shortages. Emergency room on-call requirements were starting to wear down the full-time staff in certain specialties at the system’s two hospitals.

“After we lost two urologists to relocation and retirement,” said Dotsy Malone, Western Maryland’s physician recruitment coordinator, “we began to worry that we did not have adequate emergency coverage.”

The health system was concerned about turnover, increased malpractice risk, and other potential consequences associated with overburdened employees. So, they sought the help of a locum tenens firm to give the full-time staff a break.

During the current recession, some medical groups may balk at the cost of using locum tenens doctors. But for Western Maryland and other healthcare facilities that look closer at the return on investment, locum tenens physicians have become a vital and cost-effective component of the staffing mix.

“As an institution, we would rather invest in a permanent hire to meet demand,” said Malone. “But in cases where hiring a permanent physician just isn’t feasible, we still want to take care of our patients and doctors. Locum tenens help us fill that gap.”

Plus, when you consider the costs in addition to salary for a full-time physician—vacation, benefits, malpractice insurance, etc.—the cost of using a locum tenens is often close to equivalent.

“A locum tenens may, in some cases, be more costly, but that is not always the case,” said Nathan Yoder; manager of interim services for Flint, Michigan-based Radiology Business Solutions. Yoder said that Radiology Business Solutions, a national consulting firm that helps hospitals and radiology groups manage business issues, considers many other factors when determining whether using locum tenens physicians makes sense for their clients.

“We have been asked to fill openings to provide continuity of care and meet caseload demands, for absences due to maternity leaves, long-term illnesses, continuing medical education, and to support rapidly expanding practices,” he said. “We work with NALTO [National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations] members to find physicians who can help us meet demand in the short term.”

What follows are some of the other benefits seen by medical facilities that use locum tenens physicians on a regular basis.

Maintaining Revenue

The ability to hold onto revenue that would otherwise be lost due to a physician staff opening is one of the most common justifications for seeking locum tenens help. This need is now more acute due to the physician shortage in many specialties and the urgency of protecting revenue streams during the recession.

The money varies by region and specialty, but at a minimum, a medical group with an open physician position stands to miss out on several thousand dollars of revenue per day. In addition, patients made to wait too long due to a physician shortage may decide to go elsewhere and not return, causing further exodus of revenue.

“Aside from providing consistent customer service and excellent patient care, capturing revenue is another reason we use locum tenens,” said Yoder.

Maintaining revenue streams often goes a long way toward offsetting, or eliminating, locum tenens fees. Locum tenens physicians also reduce other hidden costs, as well.

Avoiding Hidden Costs

At Western Maryland, revenue wasn’t the primary driver for using locum tenens urologists. Instead, it was concerns about potentially overworked doctors.

“Our administration is very supportive about physicians’ expectations for call,” said Malone. “Fatigue isn’t good for patient safety or for our physicians’ quality of life. There needs to be a standard of care issue for us to seek locum tenens, and that was the situation, especially in urology.”

By using locum tenens physicians to provide some on-call relief, Western Maryland managed to avoid cost issues including increased malpractice risk and service inefficiency.

Satisfying Staff and Reducing Turnover

Taking on a locum tenens physician may be more expensive than keeping a full-time physician, but losing a full-time staffer and having to recruit, hire, and train a replacement is costlier than either of those other options.

Many medical groups find strategic use of locum tenens to fill gaps in radiology and other specialties to be an effective tool in keeping the other doctors,  staff members, and referring physicians satisfied.

“If we allow a radiology department to remain understaffed, it will take longer for the radiologists to complete the department’s workload,” said Yoder. “As a result, customer service and patient care suffer.  Additionally, the group members’ lifestyles suffer. The added stress and family issues that arise may then cause a physician to leave a practice at which they were previously happy.”

As with the associated lost revenue, the costs of replacing a full-time physician vary by region and specialty. The task of recruiting and hiring alone can cost many thousands of dollars—and that’s without including harder-to-calculate costs such as  work disruption and lower morale for employees left behind, as well as delays in patient care.

Many medical groups find that bringing in locum tenens physicians not only safeguards patient satisfaction (and thus protects the group’s market reputation), but also shows permanent staff how valued they are.

“How quickly a group reacts to an unforeseen absence is very important,” said Yoder. “The sooner we can assure the group’s physicians that the work will be covered, the more they’ll be able to focus on their work.”

Bonus Benefits

Sometimes, medical facilities even discover unforeseen cost advantages of locum tenens.

Western Maryland has been successful in recruiting several locum tenens physicians to fill permanent positions. The benefits of this approach include faster orientation time and lower risk associated with the new hire.

“We’ve been fortunate that the candidates we’ve gotten through our locum tenens firm have been high-quality people,” said Malone. “The quality is vital because they’re representative of our system and our physicians when they’re here. “And it’s wonderful when we’re able to hire them because they already know what to expect as they’re coming in. There’s a real confidence about retention because they’re already acquainted with the job, the system, and the community.”

One locum tenens physician turned down Western Maryland’s full-time offer for family reasons, but during his stint at the practice he provided a unique benefit: he expanded the skills of the staff by training them in some new techniques he’d learned in recent Mayo Clinic training.

It all goes to show that, although using locum tenens doctors carries additional up-front costs, numerous advantages await those groups that recognize the long-term financial benefits of locum tenens as part of comprehensive staffing strategy.

Jamey Morgan is president of Concorde Staff Source, a Milwaukee-based locum tenens, physician placement and allied health staffing firm. She is a founding member of the National Association of Locum Tenens Organization.  www.concordestaffing.com.

The nurse manager is an increasingly important role at hospitals and medical facilities across the country. Experienced, well-qualified nurse managers are getting harder and harder to find. But Concorde is here to help.

The ongoing nursing shortage is cause for concern in the health care industry, and nurse managers represent perhaps the most pressing need. In addition to being excellent nurses, these individuals must master a wide range of business disciplines including quality management, safety compliance, finance, human resources and more.

Clearly, the role requires a talented, driven person with well-rounded set of skills. It’s just the kind of niche position Concorde excels at filling. That’s why we’re pleased to share with you that we’ve begun recruiting nurse managers for full-time placement.

Complementing our 30 years of physician placement experience, our new nurse manager offer is just the latest way we’re meeting the evolving needs of our clients.

Let us know your nurse management needs today, and we’ll get started right away finding a high-quality candidate who fits best with your facility.

According to a recent study, 71 percent of physicians searched for jobs online. Establishing an online presence—including on social media platforms—is more important than ever for medical facilities and the staffing firms that serve them. Here’s what we’re doing at Concorde.

Concorde recently launched a presence on two social networks to connect with clients and candidates. Come visit us on:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

We’re using these platforms to make and maintain personal connections, as well as to participate in ongoing discussions with professionals throughout the medical staffing industry.

Under increasing economic pressures, many medical facilities are struggling to advance important quality and performance initiatives. But independent physicians are feeling the same pinch, and they’re uneasy about taking on additional responsibilities for less money. What can be done to improve these tenuous hospital-physician relations?

Medical facilities would probably prefer to employ all their physicians and specialists if they could. However, for many reasons (including the looming potential jump in demand), that’s simply not feasible. Instead, their staffs are patchworks of full-time employees, independent physicians providing care through contractual arrangements and supplemental staff.

Getting all these people on board with mission-critical strategic initiatives is a multifaceted challenge. But broadly speaking, it’s a matter of fostering a greater understanding between medical facilities and all the physicians with whom they work. That begins with the staffing process.

Perfecting the Cultural Chemistry

At Concorde, we believe in taking the time to make sure every physician—full-time, independent or supplemental staff—fits with the culture and mission of a medical facility. It’s a key aspect of what we mean by “Holding Ourselves to Higher Standards.”

We work hard to understand not only the unique job requirements, but also the cultural nuances of each position. It also involves considering personality – including extensive reference checks. We talk with former employers as well as former colleagues and support staff, who often provide the most candid insights about the way a physician, PA or NP interacts with patients and other people.

In addition to our stringent certification process, Concorde also seeks candidates who are deeply connected to a facility’s community and will relate better to the local patients. The result is that the supplemental staff we provide are more committed to and happier in their work.

That’s important to a medical facility’s brand, because the people who provide the care are the face of the organization. And overall, those who are satisfied in their positions will cause less turnover, work more efficiently and be far more willing to get behind the latest quality or performance initiative.

With the number of staffing firms servicing the health care industry, choosing a locum tenens partner can be difficult. Here are four key questions you can ask that will help you identify an LT staffing firm that makes sense for your organization.

How do you recruit your physicians?
Choose an LT firm that fills positions with physicians who live in or have connections to your area. Doctors with close ties to your region relate better to your patients. Plus, they present a lower malpractice risk, because patients are less likely to sue a doctor they’re comfortable with.

How do you screen your LTs?
Traditionally, staffing firms have only asked for references from a doctor’s peers. To ensure you get the best match, you’ll want your LT partner to go a little deeper, including talking to nurses, technicians and physician assistants. They can provide important insights on a physician’s communication skills, personality and more.

What is your billing process?
If you’ve used an LT staffing firm before, you’re probably accustomed to seeing the firm’s charges and the physician’s charges lumped into one bill. But the best firms give you itemized quotes and invoices. This way, you don’t have to wonder what you’re paying for.

Will you be my contact throughout the entire process?
Many locum tenens firms’ sales teams don’t work closely with the recruiters who find your physicians. The particulars of your unique situation may get lost in translation, making it hard to deliver doctors who are a good fit. That’s why a single point of contact is the best way to ensure that your precise staffing needs are met.

Everybody wants to fill physician openings as fast as possible. But doctors are the face of your organization. It’s worth it to make sure you find the right locum tenens doctor for your situation. And that takes higher standards. Here are some of the ways Concorde Staff Source finds physicians who fit best with your practice and your patients.

Insist on More Selective Recruiting
Your patients and the public don’t differentiate between a locum tenens doctor and a physician on your staff. He or she represents your group or hospital, either way. You want doctors who are committed to their work—not the glamorous globe-hopping lifestyle advertised by some locum tenens recruiters.

That’s why Concorde is much pickier about candidates than many firms you’ll encounter. We’re focused on finding a talented, dedicated physician who’s connected to your region. Doctors with close ties to your region relate better to your patients. Plus, they present a lower malpractice risk, because patients are less likely to sue a doctor they’re comfortable with.

Seek a Single Point of Contact
Larger locum tenens firms tend to deploy sales teams that don’t work closely with the recruiters who are charged with finding your physicians. They may lose sight of your needs in the process, making it hard for the firm to deliver doctors who are a good fit.

When you work with Concorde, you deal with the same person every time. We provide more personalized customer service while steering clear of the profit pressures of a large, public company. And the benefits to you include greater consistency, communication and accountability for good results.

Look for a Thorough Screening
All locum tenens firms engage in a screening process. Concorde does more.

Our screening process doesn’t just look at skills, experience and continuing medical education. It also involves considering personality fit, including extensive reference checks. We talk with former employers as well as former colleagues and support staff, who often provide the most candid insights about the way a physician interacts with patients and other people.

You Deserve the Highest Standards
Patients’ safety and satisfaction—not to mention your organization’s malpractice liability—are at stake with every medical staffing move you make.

At Concorde, we are fiercely committed to holding both our physicians and ourselves to higher standards. You need to be confident that your locum tenens firm will help you find physicians you’d trust your own family’s care to. Through responsive service, transparent billing practices, careful recruiting and more, that’s the assurance we deliver every day.