Labor shortages remain a concern in the healthcare industry. Physician burnout contributes to these shortages; many physicians are retiring with no one to replace them. A lack of residency slots is another issue leading to shortages, and profits are declining while healthcare costs rise.
Many healthcare organizations have chosen to contact Locumstory for help in resolving these shortages. Locums allow healthcare organizations to fill gaps and support staff. Patient care opportunities improve with locums, and organizations find their profit grows.
Why Are Locums So Valuable Today?
Many healthcare organizations remain hesitant to hire locums because they have heard negative things about these workers. They worry the quality of patient care will be lacking. However, most healthcare organizations had no choice but to bring in these workers during the pandemic and found that they offer numerous benefits.
Patient care remains consistent as licensed physicians provide it, and organizations can offer specialized care with the help of these professionals. Healthcare organizations that employ locums help address physician burnout, leading to less turnover. The organizations can respond to fluctuating patient loads and remain fiscally agile with the help of locums. Disadvantaged and rural areas, in particular, benefit from using locum tenens.
Timely Care
Many procedures were postponed during the pandemic, as the focus was on treating those who came down with the illness. Today, healthcare workers continue to try to catch up with postponed procedures, or they must treat patients with more serious conditions because they didn’t get care promptly. Locum tenens workers help healthcare organizations treat these patients when regular staff members are overwhelmed.
In addition, locums often offer specialized care so they can go where needed most. A healthcare organization won’t need to hire a full-time doctor with a specialty that is rarely required. They can turn to locum tenens to help patients needing this type of care, saving money while ensuring patient care isn’t sacrificed. The healthcare system can focus on improving health outcomes by ensuring patients have access to the doctors they need.
Patient Safety
Patients must comply with all credentialing requirements and meet clinical standards before working in the field. In addition, they undergo training within each organization to use the systems. The locum tenens becomes part of an organization’s care team, even if they are only there temporarily. The healthcare organization bears the responsibility of complying with all laws and regulations. In addition, the organization must ensure its insurance will cover the locum tenens and the work this individual does. The insurance needs to be written to cover the locum tenens’ specialty.
Why Locum Tenens?
Healthcare organizations often struggle to find workers. When they find the right individual for a position, they must train this individual and take on paying their wages and benefits. Doing so can be costly. Organizations lose money when they have open positions, and finding the right person for each job opening can be challenging. Locum tenens fill the gap while this search is conducted so the organization can find someone who fits into all aspects of the organization rather than settle for whoever applies.
Every healthcare organization today needs to consider using locum tenens to remain competitive. “Just-in-time” labor is benefiting countless industries today, including healthcare. However, an organization shouldn’t simply hire locums. It needs to plan for the addition of these workers to ensure ample operational oversight and set up its HR processes to find suitable talent.
Many organizations turn to a locum tenens staffing agency for help. The agency finds the right person for each open position so the healthcare organization can focus on patient care. Most organizations find this is the solution they have been searching for to address staffing woes.