How a regional health system maintained an effective team of hospitalists and provided communities with uninterrupted patient care.
Medical facilities around the country are facing the reality of continued staffing shortages. Following the pandemic, healthcare organizations have needed to find viable solutions in order to maintain the care of their patients. Locum tenens providers represent a solution that addresses labor shortages for healthcare institutions–and sees much lower burnout rates among providers.
Challenge
A not-for-profit healthcare network that includes several hospitals and numerous outpatient facilities partnered with LocumTenens.com in order to quickly address staffing shortages among hospitalists. Between the national physician shortage and other challenges (such as one facility’s remote location), the hospital system found that they needed a reliable, cost-effective way to staff their hospitalist program and create dependability and visibility within their scheduling.
Solution
Utilizing an extensive network of physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs), LocumTenens.com put together a comprehensive team of 19 skilled APPs, addressing the vacancies left by the physicians exiting the team permanently–and other temporary absences such as maternity leave–across the three separate hospitals serving different communities. Additionally, LocumTenens.com managed the full night shift of two of their facilities and temporarily for another to provide hospitalist coverage during a medical leave. A dedicated Scheduler and Recruiter were assigned in order to prevent interruptions in patient care.
Results
By adopting a strategic approach instead of a conventional one-in-one-out method, the client maintained control over their day-to-day costs amidst a period of growth in hospitalist salaries.
- Remote Facility: One 70-bed facility in a more remote region of the country did not have the same access to health workers as urban facilities. After this partnership, nine advanced practice providers (APPs) were deployed to this location who have been practicing there since 2020. What began as an urgent response to the pandemic evolved into an informed, ongoing strategic partnership.
- Changing Tactics: A second hospital with over 400 beds successfully filled vacant physician roles with three APP hospitalists, guaranteeing uninterrupted high-quality patient care.
- Scheduling Support: A medical center with over 300 beds leveraged LocumTenens.com's strategic partnership and scheduling services to optimize its hospitalist program. Through diligent management of the hospital's night staffing schedules, this partnership ensures a consistent and reliable presence of hospitalists.
Conclusion
LocumTenens.com was able to not only address the healthcare network’s immediate clinician needs based on their specific staffing environment but also to set the facilities up for success with comprehensive night shift scheduling. The implementation of advanced practice providers as a workforce solution in healthcare is on the rise, and recent findings imply that APPs are a strong fit for locum tenens work.
Looking Ahead
Healthcare organizations need flexibility in their workforce solutions if they intend to adapt to the current staffing realities and be prepared for unforeseeable market disruptors. A strategic partner like LocumTenens.com, with broad experience and a toolkit of innovative solutions, is able to equip healthcare facilities and systems to stay one step ahead.
Explore our staffing optimization solutions, or contact a representative today to share the details of your organization’s unique staffing needs. LocumTenens.com is committed to finding the ideal solution that aligns with your organization’s needs and the communities you serve.