Are You Prepared for an Emergency or Potential Expansion?

Leaders in healthcare facility management are acutely aware that the landscape of medicine is continually changing. Shifting trends in patient care often emerge gradually, but other times seem to happen overnight. Indeed, having adequate staff available for innumerable scenarios is one of the most challenging aspects of healthcare administration. It is difficult to predict what challenges will arise, especially to maintain consistent, high-quality patient care.

Locum tenens Physicians and Advance Practitioners offer flexibility and ultimate preparedness for hospitals and medical practices on an everyday basis. Whether it is to prepare for an emergency or an expansion, temporary staffing solutions offer options for healthcare providers to strengthen their core care plans.

Plan for Future Patient Care

Locum tenens staffing allows medical practices and hospitals to gauge how to effectively expand services. While locum tenens fill expanded roles immediately, administrators can take the time to develop an appropriate timeline for permanent changes. For example, when opening a new outpatient facility, temporary staffing can fill immediate needs while interviews are conducted, and schedules are determined for use and needs.

In addition, facilities in geographically remote locations can fill specialist roles to help patients avoid long-distance travel. Using locum tenens specialists, such as a cardiologist, can help healthcare systems determine if a long-term hire is necessary, or if temporary specialists should rotate to the area to care for diabetics.

By generating income during times when administrators are taking their time to carefully plan, locums pay for themselves and more. A temporary staffing solution means that administrators avoid rushing through proposals and allows solutions to develop.  

ProvideExceptional Care, Even in Emergency Situations

Unfortunately, catastrophes and health crises happen, and healthcare facilities are often the front-line response in emergencies. Some areas of our country are prone to events like wildfires, hurricanes, or earthquakes. In these areas, emergency preparedness plans are likely already in place. The fact is incidents that cause healthcare crunches can occur anywhere.

Having additional temporary staff available to respond in emergency situations creates an immense difference in a facility’s ability to respond to a natural disaster or catastrophic event. Do not be caught unprepared; locum tenens providers are an investment to ensure continuity of care, no matter the circumstances.

Fill in the Credentialing Gaps

Transitionary staffing is useful to immediately step into a patient care role while healthcare facilities are awaiting the credentialing of a new physician into a medical practice. In general, the credentialing process involves background checks, verifications, privileging, and payor enrollment. This critical process can take three to four months, or even longer.

Rather than lose revenue during the hiring process, hospitals can fill in treatment gaps by adding locum tenens providers as needed. Schedulers can assure patients of seamless delivery of care while so that there is no gap of doctors at facilities. Regular follow-up appointments help keep patients healthy and identify any needed procedures or resulting testing.

Locum tenens Physicians are already pre-screened, credentialed, and ready to work so that patients can receive high-quality care in a timely manner, and facilities can continue to generate necessary income.

Practice Expansion on a Test Basis

As hospital systems expand or medical practices broaden their services, locum tenens staffing provides an ideal mechanism to assess the need for specialties or services before committing to a full-time hire.

Locum tenens helps evaluate the market before investing in a permanent Physician who would need benefits, relocation incentives, and other employment rewards. Locum tenens Physicians practice in specialties and general areas of medicine and are ready to step into the provider role quickly.

Temporary to Permanent Options for Ultimate Flexibility

In some cases, a locum tenens provider can begin working in a facility on a short-term contractual basis and later move into a permanent placement for long-term employment. This benefits the Physician, who can explore living in a specific community and assess the feel of working in a particular practice, and it also helps the practice. Staff can gauge the compatibility and flow of the doctor within the specific environment, and management can move forward with a full-time offer after this locum tenens “trial period.”

Providers are Ready to Adapt, Flex, Plan & Grow

In healthcare, it is imperative to model adaptability, flexibility, planning, and growth. Patient care is inherently challenging and being ready to provide exceptional care 100%of the time, is a lofty but important benchmark. Locum tenens give facilities a true advantage with positive impacts on practices and organizations.

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