Stephen Fish  |  Director of Marketing 
(877) 456-2867 x4208  |  sfish@deltalocums.com

Even during this physician shortage, there are still facilities who are willing to pay the cost for locums, but are unwilling to pay for the travel expenses.  “Find someone local,” they say, “or we can’t afford it.”   Yet once a facility has turned to a locums company for coverage, they have usually already exhausted the local resources, correct?

Locum tenens isn’t cheap, I realize this.  However, it sure beats the alternative—a closed practice, or your patient draw area expanding to another facility.   The costs must be measured: how much a day will it cost not to have coverage in your practice?  How much will it affect your facility when all your patients go to the facility across town because no one at your facility is available?  What happens if you reopen and find out that some of the patients you used to see are willing to drive 15 minutes farther because of the quality of care they received across town?   

I do understand that it may not make sense for some facilities, like an outpatient primary care clinic, to use locums.  But why would an inpatient facility even consider not using locums because of the associated travel expenses?  A willingness to pay for travel and secure locums coverage will secure your patient base and even make your facility a profit in the long run.

I welcome your perspective!  Please discuss using the comments below.