Locum Tenens is Best for Multi-Specialty Team-Based Medicine

Multi-specialty team-based care is an essential tool for coordinating services across the patient care continuum. Healthcare organizations that adopt a team-based practice model encourage better patient outcomes and increased operational efficiency.

Patient care teams begin with the patient and include all related service providers that interact with the model – from preventative to medical incidents, treatment/ rehabilitation, and ongoing management.

Team members include primary care Physicians and ancillary staff, specialists, hospitalists, case managers, allied health professionals, and home care providers. A staffing shortage in any provider category within the healthcare operation can negatively impact patient outcomes.

Can Locum Tenens Staffing help Multi-Specialty Team-Based Medicine?

Yes.  A locum tenens staffing company is a viable partner to any healthcare organization aiming to ensure best practice standards throughout the entire multi-specialty team.

Here are five top ways that locum tenens positively impacts the delivery care model for multi-specialty team-based care and improves patient outcomes:

1.  Enhance Interdisciplinary Coordination

In the typical patient care model, the primary care team refers to specialists for a consult, and the PCP continues to oversee the treatment plan. If there are extended wait times for specialty appointments, the primary care team is delayed in making recommendations. Ultimately, care coordination grinds to a standstill until the specialty consult is complete.

Locum tenens providers can provide targeted increases in patient appointment volume to keep the care model moving smoothly. For example, if there is a shortage of Endocrinologists, and long wait times for appointments, hiring a locum tenens specialist for a three-month time frame can push consults through, so the primary care team can make appropriate follow-up recommendations.

Furthermore, improvements in care coordination benefit the patients and enhance revenue by increasing the necessary scheduling of diagnostics and interventional procedures.

The most complex medical patients require the elaborate resources of a well-functioning team to overcome the substantial challenges inherent to coordinated treatment. Locum tenens staffing can better prepare your facility to provide comprehensive, effective care to every patient.

2.  Improve in Provider Efficiency

There is a saying about being "only as strong as your weakest link." This sentiment rings true in multi-specialty team-based care. Deficits in any team aspect impact the entire patient care delivery model and decelerate outcomes.  

In general, a well-supported provider is a more efficient provider. Physicians with well-rounded and skilled teams can move efficiently through a caseload and provide top-tier care to more patients.

Every aspect of the multi-specialty team must be operating at the highest performance for the overall outcome to be ideal. By hiring locum tenens staff to augment any understaffed part of the team, the whole team's efficiency improves.

3.  Support Timely Access to Care

In multi-specialty team-based care, the higher the number of qualified providers available, the timelier the care. The addition of medical staff creates improved responsiveness to high-risk patients, faster testing, quicker results, and better allocation of organizational resources.  

Locum tenens staffing is a quick way to decrease wait times and provide exceptional service to patients and families. Patient satisfaction soars, and most importantly, critical medical interventions occur faster, leading to better overall outcomes.

4.  Reducing Provider Burnout and Stress

Hiring locum tenens providers offers immediate relief to overworked permanent staff on the multi-specialty team. When teams are understaffed, providers are often asked to do more, i.e., longer shifts, more shifts, forego vacation time, etc.

When work demands begin to interfere with the quality of life, morale suffers, and in turn, the team suffers. By hiring highly qualified staff to step into patient care roles, permanent staff can get the break they need, lowering the chances of widespread team burnout. The multidisciplinary coordination of care improves when providers feel supported and encouraged to take the time away from work that they need to recharge.

5.  Improve Outcomes for Specialty Team-Based Care

Outcome measures help gauge the success of a team-based program. Undoubtedly, a prepared, proactive, adequately staffed team contributes to positive outcomes.

Consider this scenario: an outcome performance measure for private practice is associated with emergency department utilization. Payors evaluate primary care practice performance by studying their patients' emergency department (ED) use. Higher ED use by the patient population is a poorer ranking outcome measurement.

Certainly, seeing more patients in-office keeps them out of the ED for routine care. Locum tenens staffing is an excellent means to increase in-office patient visits. Practice performance measures can significantly improve by offering more appointments, extended hours, or on-call care.

There are many improved outcomes associated with increased staffing related to team-based care, including higher patient satisfaction, decreased wait times, and quicker testing and diagnostics.

Locum Tenens: A Strategy to Improve Coordination of Care in Multi-Specialty Team-Based Teams

For most healthcare organizations, the goal is to achieve an optimal level of patient wellness with improved coordination of care in the most cost-effective way possible.

Locum tenens delivers on all fronts.

The assignment of temporary or permanent healthcare providers to your facility impacts patients and providers in meaningful ways. Care coordination improves with better patient experiences and optimized outcomes. Locum tenens providers help integrate, coordinate, and engage by supporting any identified aspect of the team.

Health Carousel: Your Healthcare Organization's Partner in Multi-Specialty Team-Based Care

With a strong network of exceptional providers, Health Carousel Locum Tenens offers industry-leading locum tenens staffing for multi-specialty team-based care. We understand your workforce needs are unique and constantly changing. Our solutions aim to satisfy any gaps in employment, improve your revenue, and increase the confidence and efficiency of your workforce.

With a combination of specialized recruiters and technology-based nationwide network of specialists, we have the resources to assign top-tier staff to your hospital or medical practice, credentialed, licensed, and ready to treat patients.

Health Carousel Locum Tenens also offers self-service staffing through our proprietary platform and account management using an advanced matching engine.

We have project-based services to stabilize your multi-specialty teams during transitions or significant staffing gaps.

We value every member of the patient care team, most importantly, the patient. Our standards of patient care are high, and we hire providers that match our mission.

At Health Carousel Locum Tenens, our goal is to partner with your team to achieve best-practice operational success in the most cost-effective way possible.

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