Trouble in VMS paradise?
Welcome back to Locums Digest, our bi-weekly roundup of industry news and trends that helps locums agencies make informed decisions.
In this edition of Locums Digest, a new report from Staffing Industry Analysts finds that more than half of staffing agencies using an MSP or VMS are dissatisfied with their provider. More than half say they may switch providers by the end of the year.
Also in this issue: Medicus explores the nationwide radiology shortage; All Star explores how locum tenens can be an effective recruiting tool for rural facilities; MPLT, Interim Physicians, Jackson Healthcare, and Jackson+Coker receive service awards; Elite365 acquires Critical Connections, Inc.; Barton Associates earns “Healthcare Staffing and Recruiting Company of the Year” honors; employers brace for 8% increase in healthcare costs, and more.
Thanks for reading!
Tips for Building Stronger VMS and MSP Relationships
August 6, 2024 | Staffing Industry Analysts
Agencies may operate within a vendor management system (VMS) or a managed service provider (MSP) framework, or they might contribute staff as part of larger VMS/MSP agreements. Given the widespread reliance on these services for contingent workforce needs, your agency is likely a part of this ecosystem, with ample opportunity to strengthen VMS/MSP partnerships. A recent Staffing Industry Analysts survey reviewed the experiences of those involved with VMS and MSP and explored ways they could better address their needs.
According to the findings, 81% of respondents partner with a VMS and 55% with an MSP. But these services aren’t universally loved. More than half (56%) of those surveyed plan to seek new supply chain partners within the next year, citing dissatisfaction with their current providers.
This represents an opportunity to engage with your clients to increase their satisfaction and decrease the chances of a change. Here are some questions to consider:
- Are your clients using all of your system’s capabilities, including the program’s advanced features? Are there best practices or tips and tricks you can share to ensure they get the most from the partnership?
- Are there challenges with the client’s integration, processes, or technology configurations that could be addressed? Can you improve their experience or customize a solution that removes non-value-added steps?
- Are you offering strategic business reviews to align goals, explore new initiatives, and test fresh opportunities?
- Are the performance metrics you share with clients aligned with their goals and regularly reviewed?
A partnership between a client and their MSP or VMS is just that: a connection that, like all relationships, relies on regular review and growth, strong communication, and opportunities to add value. Focusing on these areas can enhance your agency’s value proposition and build stronger, more effective partnerships within the VMS/MSP framework.
La Vida Locum
Locums Radiologists: Offering Vital Flexibility and Expertise During a Nationwide Shortage
July 10, 2024 | Medicus Healthcare Solutions
The availability of radiologists to fill permanent staffing roles is not expected to keep pace with the estimated 4% increase in radiology positions over the next decade. Practicing radiologists are aging into retirement, and there are not enough residency programs to train new radiologists. Most radiology residents who applied to residency programs in 2024 did not place, with only one in six interventional applicants and one in eight diagnostic applicants matching. Another complicating factor is the number of radiologists who found teleradiology opportunities during the pandemic and are not interested in giving that up to return to on-site practice.
Radiologists exploring locum tenens opportunities are unrestricted by geography and often more willing to travel given the temporary nature of the assignments. With many retiring radiologists being generalists who cover up to five subspecialties daily, locums provide an immediate solution to staffing gaps while permanent positions remain unfilled. By leveraging the skills and adaptability of locums radiologists, healthcare facilities can better manage their staffing demands, maintain high-quality care, and navigate the complexities of the evolving radiology landscape.
Leveraging Locums: How Short-Term Hires Can Shape Long-Term Recruitment Strategies for Rural Facilities
August 27, 2024 | All Star Healthcare Solutions
While locum tenens’ primary purpose is to fill short-term staffing gaps, they may also provide facilities with a pipeline for permanent staff, particularly those in rural communities that face unique hiring challenges. Here are three advantages to filling an open position with locums:
- A short-term hire can help a facility gauge its long-term requirements, especially for specialists who may be needed for a limited time. The facility may determine that a series of locums adequately fills the vacancy, or it may confirm that it needs permanent staff.
- Locum providers allow a facility to refine what they’re looking for in a specific role while also allowing a provider to see how they fit into the facility.
- Locum physicians provide fresh perspectives on what it’s like to live and work in this community, which facilities can use to better showcase what the area offers a permanent hire and clearly address newcomers’ concerns about the area.
By considering locums professionals as both crucial temporary members of the team and valuable guides for future permanent staff, rural facilities can enhance their recruiting strategies, attract qualified candidates, and address staffing needs more effectively.
Locum Leaders
Transforming Language Access: New Tech Enhances Interpretation Services to Improve Patient Care and Operational Efficiency
August 27, 2024 | AMN Healthcare
patients with limited English proficiency. AMN Healthcare Language Services is tackling this issue with its newly launched technology, which is designed to transform language access programs by taking over the entire operational management of in-house language services.
Difficulty accessing quality in-person interpretation services can lead to diagnostic mistakes, slower treatment response, and increased costs. Due to language barriers, patients may feel they are not being heard or are concerned that they do not fully understand their options. Physicians can be frustrated and worried that they are not offering the best care to their patients, as well as feeling the administrative crunch of waiting for translators to be available.
AMN Healthcare’s new Strategic Partnership Solutions (SPS) offers tailored wraparound language services, including video, phone, and in-person interpretation and translation. After analyzing and evaluating a facility’s unique language needs, AMN Healthcare prepares an SPS to address those needs while enhancing reliability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
Locums Agencies Earn Awards and Recognition in Nationwide Reports
August 2024 | MPLT Healthcare, Interim Physicians, Jackson Healthcare, Jackson + Coker
Four locum tenens agencies have been recognized for their exceptional service to providers and clients, as well as their business growth, with one agency receiving special recognition for its commitment to mental health.
Jackson and Coker is the first locums agency to be named a Wellbeing First Champion by ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare. As a Wellbeing First Champion, the agency is committed to removing barriers to mental health care for clinicians, including those who have sought or may seek treatment for conditions that do not impact their ability to practice. The agency has ensured that its internal insurance applications and reference forms for locum tenens providers are free of intrusive or stigmatizing language related to mental health care and treatment.
Interim Physicians was named to Inc. magazine’s Inc. 5000, the publication’s annual list of the country’s fastest-growing private companies, for the fourth time. This year’s winners were recognized for meeting the challenge of growing revenue during a time of inflation, insurance pressures, and hiring challenges. Interim Physicians has also been named the 19th-largest locum tenens agency in the US, according to data collected by Staffing Industry Analysts.
Jackson Healthcare recently appeared on PEOPLE magazine’s Companies that Care list. The list comprises Great Place To Work Certified companies that have completed the Great Place To Work Trust Index Survey, which measures the positivity of employees’ work experiences; additionally, each honoree supplied insights on how they care for their employees, communities, and planet. Jackson Healthcare has also been recognized on this year’s Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, Best Workplaces for Millennials, Best Workplaces in Health Care, and Best Workplaces for Women lists.
MPLT Healthcare ranks 18th on the South Florida Business Journal Fast 50 list, up from 20th since 2021. The recognition reflects the MPLT team’s commitment to quality service for both locums providers and healthcare facilities.
Staffing Agency Adds Therapy Services Through Acquisition
July 12, 2024 | Elite365
Elite365 Healthcare Workforce Solutions has acquired Critical Connection, Inc. (CCI), adding physical and occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists to the staffing options available to its clients.
Established in 2022, Elite365 provides staffing solutions, including locum tenens placements, within more than 1,000 healthcare facilities. Since 2004, CCI has placed therapists in hundreds of private practices and major healthcare systems, primarily around Washington, DC, and Baltimore. The CCI team will lead Elite365’s expansion into the therapy segment.
Barton Named Recruiting Company of the Year by Healthcare Business Review
September 4, 2023 | Barton Associates
Barton Associates has been named the 2024 Healthcare Staffing and Recruiting Company of the Year 2024 by Healthcare Business Review, marking the second time they’ve been recognized with this honor by the publication. This award highlights Barton’s role as a leading locum tenens staffing agency, helping healthcare facilities nationwide manage the ongoing physician shortage. Barton was nominated by Healthcare Business Review subscribers and selected by a panel of industry experts.
The award comes as healthcare facilities nationwide continue to grapple with a physician shortage projected to reach 86,000 by 2036, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Locum tenens staffing has emerged as a potential solution, helping hospitals and clinics maintain operations while addressing the long-term challenges of physician recruitment.
Barton Associates’ director of marketing Stacy Cyr, emphasized the company’s dedication to delivering top-quality staffing solutions. Cyr said Barton was “honored to receive this award and proud to be recognized by our peers in the healthcare industry. It reflects the hard work our team does every day to provide high-quality locum tenens services.”
Hire Power
Research Supports the Importance of Quality Onboarding of Locums
August 28, 2024 | Staffing Industry Analysts
Successful locum tenens assignments are often the result of a concerted effort between the staffing agency and facility to provide onboarding before each assignment. Recent research by Staffing Industry Analysts, in partnership with the Advancement of Physician and Provider Recruiters and Jackson Physician Search, provided quantitative data supporting three levels of onboarding for locums providers.
- Early: Most (85%) surveyed physicians said detailed instructions and timely credentialing were vital for a smooth start.
- Ongoing: Those who received one week of onboarding reported a 66% satisfaction rate with the experience, while those who experienced onboarding lasting 12 months or longer had an 87% satisfaction rate.
- Formal: Of those who reported satisfaction with their facility’s onboarding, 73% had experienced a formal process. Of those dissatisfied, only 34% had gone through a formal onboarding process.
At a time when the physician shortage is substantial, and facilities and physicians are recognizing the benefits of locums, it remains crucial that agencies and healthcare facilities offer thoughtful and comprehensive onboarding of new hires, no matter if their assignment is temporary or permanent.
On-Demand Management May Become a Permanent Part of Healthcare
August 23, 2024 | Dark Daily
Over the past two years, there has been an increase in healthcare organizations hiring on-demand leadership to spearhead initiatives that might otherwise go unaddressed. Common opportunities include accounting and auditing, technology, and organizational design. These temporary administrators are often seasoned professionals more interested in project-based roles than permanent titles. Their help can mean significant benefits for a facility trying to stay ahead of the curve while continuing to offer quality care:
- Support for permanent staff: Team to-do lists are full with everyday operations. Interim leaders can help innovation happen without causing overwhelm or disrupting regular work.
- Efficiency: Hiring an individual with the exact skills needed for project implementation increases the chance of success.
- Cost-effectiveness: One full-time but temporary senior leader is often a third to half of the expense of a consulting firm.
- Lack of bias: New leadership does not have preexisting expectations and can look at the facility and its project idea through a different lens.
The growing trend of hiring on-demand leadership highlights a strategic approach to tackling critical initiatives that might be overlooked. By leveraging this growing staffing solution, healthcare facilities can navigate complex challenges and stay competitive in an evolving landscape.
Making the Rounds
Employers Brace for 8% Surge in Healthcare Costs in 2025 Amid Inflation, Rising Costs, and Chronic Conditions
August 20, 2024 | Fierce Healthcare
Healthcare costs are expected to continue rising, putting employers in a position to pass the cost on to employees or enact other cost-management options. Since 2017, actual healthcare costs for employers have increased by 50%, and there is no sign of that slowing.
The Business Group on Health’s annual Employer Health Care Strategy Survey projects an 8% increase in healthcare costs in 2025. The median percentage spent on pharmaceuticals was 21% in 2021 and 27% just two years later in 2023. Most (76%) surveyed employers are concerned about this, with fewer than ever believing that affordability can come from within the prescription drug market alone. Instead, they think government-driven reforms will also be required.
Employers are also seeing costs increase with the worsening of chronic conditions and the cost to treat, especially those connected to a cancer diagnosis. Most (72%) employers reported a higher prevalence of cancer among their members, likely due to pandemic backlogs and stronger diagnostic practices. The increasing healthcare costs also reflect new therapies and general inflation.
Addressing the Hidden Harm: Reversing Bureaucratic Inefficiencies in Support of Physician Well-Being
July 13, 2024 | KevinMD.com
Bureaucratic processes, policies, and inefficiencies are overwhelming physicians and causing harm to clinicians and patients alike. This administrative burden can be seen across various areas within a facility or health system and has increased disproportionately to the direct care being provided.
Since the beginning of managed care in the US in 1970, the number of physicians has grown by 200%. At the same time, the number of healthcare administrators has skyrocketed nearly 4,000%, and healthcare costs have risen more than 3,000%. Meanwhile, the US has the lowest life expectancy among comparable large, wealthy countries.
For facilities and the agencies that serve them, it is important to consider how administrative harm may occur and find ways to address those obstacles. Three key areas that have been identified are:
- Better communication and collaboration between providers and administrators
- Finding ways to remove barriers and make it easier for physicians to practice
- Empowering physicians to identify problems and suggest solutions
Given that US medicine is increasingly practiced in larger practices and health systems rather than in independent physician-run offices, such efforts will be critical to avoiding administrative decisions that harm clinicians and patients more than they benefit.
