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Locum Tenens Corner: Family MedicineBy Joan Pearson – President, Catalina Medical RecruitersThere are over 100,000 family medicine physicians in the United States. Even though that seems like a large number, we continue to hear of the physician shortage. The Association of American Colleges Center for Workforce Studies (AAC) reports the U.S. will have a physician shortage in all specialties of 200,000 by the year 2020. As an administrator or physician, what happens when you are short staffed? How do you handle patients when your physician is out due to:
If your physician typically sees 20–25 patients per day, who sees these patients when he/she is out of the office? If they are not seen at your office/hospital, where will they go? If you are short-staffed, the patient has a couple of options. They may choose not be seen at all and therefore their condition may worsen or, they may choose to be seen by one of your competitors. Neither option is acceptable to you. Consider locum tenens to help with your short and long term staffing needs. A locum tenens firm has a pool of well-trained, qualified, and experienced physicians who enjoy seeing a diverse patient population. The physicians are ready to step in, even at the last minute, to assure continued medical care to your patients. Locum tenens physicians adapt well to new surroundings and are accustomed to interacting with new patients and staff members. Often the physician is asked back repeatedly as they become more and more familiar with the medical facility and community. How does it work? A locum tenens firm charges a daily rate, reimburses the physician, and arranges malpractice insurance. Your facility retains all the fees generated by the physician. This solution will enable you to continue providing quality medical care to your patients along with continuing your revenue stream. If your facility has a need for additional staffing, please contact Joan Pearson at Catalina Medical Recruiters at 800-657-0354 or joan@catalinarecruiters.com.
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