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Locum Tenens and Electronic Medical Records

Maintaining continuity in services, revenue and patient care is always priority within a medical practice. Many healthcare facilities depend on temporary physician staffing to bridge the gap during maternity leave, vacation, sabbatical, CME or an unexpected emergency. So who are these locum tenens physicians? Locum tenens physicians are likely:

• Residents or fellows
• Physicians with blocks of open time
• Semi-retired physicians who miss medicine
• Physicians in transition
• Physicians exploring practice opportunities
• Physicians wanting to work part-time
• Physicians wanting flexibility

Physicians who choose locum tenens are independent, able to adjust to new environments and can start seeing patients immediately upon arrival at your facility. They often love to travel, enjoy a variety of practice settings and like to keep up-to-date with the latest medical technology.

One consideration most hospitals and practices should think about is new technology. Do you know there are over 200 different EMR, EHR, DHR and CHR companies? Recently, a consulting firm was evaluating several electronic medical record systems and needed to know how user-friendly the EMRs were for physicians. Three locum physicians were ideal for evaluating the systems. One physician was a "millennial" (techie resident), one a middle age physician who was "old school" and one was an older physician who loved the challenge of learning new technology. The evaluations were valuable in determining the most comprehensive and proficient system.

Locum physicians must be able to adapt quickly to new settings and new technology; however, with over 200 different EMR systems, don't forget the importance of having an orientation for locum physicians. If you quickly familiarize the physicians with your system, the locum assignment will likely be more efficient and enjoyable for the physician, you and your staff, and your patients.

For information on locum tenens, please contact us.