Finding a qualified provider is only the beginning of what facilities should expect from their locums tenens staffing firm. The best locum tenens companies offer a high level of service and support that extends beyond the placement process.
When you recruit a provider through a locums staffing agency you’re not just filling a position: you’re entering a relationship. That’s why it’s important to choose a well-established locums firm with the expertise and operational resources to fully support you: before, during, and after an assignment.
Here’s what to look for when choosing a locums agency:
The best locum tenens companies take the time to gain a comprehensive understanding of the practice and position.
The locum tenens recruiting process doesn’t begin and end with a job description, and finding a candidate who has the right qualifications on paper. Instead, your recruiter should take the time to truly understand the nuances of the position and what you’re looking for in a provider before they begin their search. Because the better they understand the specifics of the practice and the position that you’re trying to fill, the more likely they are to find the right match for your facility.
“Whenever we take on a new client, we’re going to take the time to get to know the practice, and the staff,” says John Hayes, Founder and CEO of Hayes Locums. “We need to have a relationship with the hospital to understand what their need is, because without talking directly to them, we can’t provide the level of servicel that we want. The hospitals who work with us have specialized needs, and expect a high level of service, and thus a higher level of physician from us.”
Our specialty-specific consultants are experts within their fields, so they know what questions to ask, specific to the needs of that specialty. This allows us to find the right possible match for the position.
“What differentiates us is our persistence in finding the right fit. Our consultants are geared to find that needle in a haystack that checks all the boxes on a facility’s list,” says Hayes. “We are specialized in finding specialists.”
The best locum tenens companies conduct a thorough quality assurance process, so you won’t be taken by surprise.
“No hospital wants to be put in a position where they have to go through a last-minute scramble because they found out that the physician their locums agency recommended can’t provide a crucial service,” Hayes says.
That’s why we take our internal credentialing process so seriously. Our team carefully goes through an internal credentialing process with each provider to help get a full understanding of a provider’s experience, so that we present you with providers who we feel will be a good match for the role.
“We want to make sure that we are helping the hospital in the front end by putting the right candidates in front of them,” says Hayes, “so that when they go through their own credentialing process, their most important questions have already been asked and answered.”
The best locum tenens companies are fully equipped with the resources to troubleshoot any issues that come up.
We understand that bringing on a new locum provider can come with a certain amount of uncertainty. So it’s important that your locum tenens company has the operational resources to thoroughly and competently manage their share of that uncertainty, and the availability to troubleshoot if and when something unexpected happens.
At Hayes Locums, we have A-rated insurance and an established risk management team. We also offer 24-7 support, which means that if something comes up––say, a provider’s flight gets delayed––we have the capacity to handle it quickly on our end so that it doesn’t negatively impact your team or your patients.
“Dealing with locums is very time-consuming for medical staff,” Hayes says. “So when hospitals choose a candidate, they want support. They want the candidate to be onboarded properly, and for the physician to get there on time, following their travel guidelines. And they want someone who can come alongside them if there is a malpractice or risk management issue.”
The best locum tenens companies offer service and support that extends beyond the recruitment process.
The relationship between a locum tenens company and a hospital shouldn’t begin and end with the placement process. If a need comes up after a locums work assignment concludes––e.g. if you need more detailed reporting to better understand your locums usage––your locums firm should be ready and available to help meet it.
At Hayes Locums, our commitment to our clients extends well beyond the placement process. We take the time at the beginning of the process to get to know our clients well, and we continue to be available for them during and after the assignment for any support, advice, or information the staff might need.
“Hayes Locums is much more relationship-driven than data-driven,” Hayes said. “That’s why so many of our clients keep coming back.”
In this time of healthcare worker shortages, every medical staffing team needs and deserves the best possible support. At Hayes Locums, we are committed to putting your needs first and going above and beyond to meet them: every step of the way.
