During the recovery from the pandemic, the healthcare industry continues to see an increase in demand. There is also a shortage of available clinicians. The combination of these two things is causing hospital officials to look for ways to improve their ROI. Locums Tenens are able to provide a solution that can help both of these issues at the same time.
Locum tenens healthcare providers fill in gaps when staffing becomes a concern. With locum tenens staffing, healthcare facilities can improve hospital ROI and efficiency of their operations.
Locum tenens staffing helps healthcare providers manage staffing shortages. They became particularly important during the COVID-19 crisis. Agencies that specialize in staffing locum tenens are able to find and relocate medical professionals as needed to best suit the requirements of medical facilities.
During the pandemic, many healthcare facilities experienced continuous understaffing issues, leaving them under-resourced to meet the demands of patient care. With locum tenens providers, affected healthcare facilities filled in staffing gaps and delivered quality patient care.
The shortage of skilled healthcare workers across the nation – compounded by a decrease in candidates – has led to organizations using locum tenens as a staffing solution. Locum tenens providers reduce strain on an organization’s existing staff, but it also allows them to save money by not paying temporary or full-time employees during their time off. Locum tenens providers, on the other hand, are paid based on their hourly rate and are able to work for multiple healthcare facilities to meet their demands. This allows facilities to keep their workforce healthy and productive during this difficult time and provides physicians with the flexibility they need to continue serving their local communities. Organizations are able to improve hospital ROI by putting priority on patients first, followed by employee compensation.
Locum tenens providers receive compensation based on market rates for each specialty and region. This additional revenue provides healthcare facilities with a significant boost in their bottom line during challenging economic times. By hiring qualified professionals for vacant positions or offering new services, these facilities are able to attract and retain patients as well as demonstrate a commitment to providing high-quality care in the community.
Locum tenens can also help hospitals improve ROI by providing additional revenue and helping to stabilize margins while allowing facilities to balance staffing levels. Locum tenens can provide coverage during periods of increased demand or when a staff member is sick or on vacation. These clinicians are also more cost-effective than utilizing permanent employees since they do not have extensive benefits packages or ongoing training requirements. With fewer overhead costs and less administrative work, it is far easier for a healthcare facility to save by hiring locum tenens providers than by paying full-time clinicians or physicians.
By partnering with reputable locum tenens staffing agencies, medical facilities can ensure they have access to qualified physicians and other skilled professionals to meet their needs during the ongoing pandemic.
Temporarily hiring locum tenens providers can be a cost-effective option for healthcare organizations beyond the pandemic, too. They fill the gaps in staffing caused by employee absences without having to invest in training new employees. Hospitals and administrators can also benefit from using a locum tenens provider as they provide hospitals with flexibility and increased access to qualified physicians that may not be available during the height of the pandemic.
Additionally, locum tenens providers offer a variety of other benefits to medical facilities including a variety of specialties and the ability to contract them on a per-shift basis rather than a permanent hire. This helps physicians that suffer from things like burnout, fatigue, or other side effects of overworking for long periods of time.
According to the National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations, “the departments with the highest shortages during the coronavirus outbreak are ICUs, ORs, anesthesia, radiology, medical-surgical floors, ER/urgent care.” In addition, research shows the use of locum tenens workers continues to grow throughout the healthcare sector. As the need for these services grows, so does the need to hire highly skilled providers to fill these positions.
The pandemic has left a significant impact on the healthcare industry. Now more than ever hospitals need to keep their bottom line in mind when looking for qualified physicians.
Ensuring the success of your healthcare facility means you have to keep patients happy while maintaining a positive ROI, and on top of that you also need to stay well equipped with qualified physicians. One effective solution is to hire locum tenens providers. Locums staffing can improve hospital ROI while keeping your team stacked with trained professionals.
Do you think your facility can benefit from locum tenens? Get in touch with us to discuss how Locum Tenens can help you.