Healthcare organizations often plan for increased demand and heightened patient volumes, but few are fully prepared for the sudden departure of key providers.
While these exits may seem abrupt, they are often a result of deeper pressures impacting clinicians today, including ongoing physician shortages, limited work-life balance, and persistent burnout. When left unaddressed, these challenges can lead to unexpected provider turnover, which can disrupt care access, place additional strain on remaining staff, and trigger a potentially costly and time-consuming recruitment cycle.
In response, many healthcare leaders are seeking strategies that strengthen both recruitment and retention efforts. One effective solution is integrating locum tenens into broader clinical staffing plans. By partnering with a reputable locum tenens staffing agency, like Medicus, healthcare organizations can access dependable, efficient, and clinically aligned support when and where it's needed most.
Navigating Unexpected Provider Turnover with the Medicus Transition Program
To help healthcare organizations navigate multi-FTE vacancies resulting from unexpected provider turnover or broader clinical workforce instability, Medicus Healthcare Solutions created the Medicus Transition Program. As a project-based interim staffing solution, the Medicus Transition Program delivers consistent, quality locum tenens coverage to ensure uninterrupted patient care during periods of staffing disruption.
Through close collaboration with health system leaders, Medicus provides tailored locum tenens staffing solutions that are aligned with operational, cultural, and organizational goals. With a dedicated project team, Medicus handles onboarding, licensing, and credentialing, and co-manages schedules, allowing leadership to prioritize recruitment and long-term workforce strategy during periods of unexpected provider turnover.
By stabilizing staffing quickly, the Medicus Transition Program not only safeguards patient access but also helps reduce burnout among permanent teams by balancing workloads and improving scheduling flexibility.
The Medicus Transition Program's Impact:
Bridging Staffing Gaps in a Connecticut Gastroenterology Program
Amidst increasing patient volumes and expanding services, the gastroenterology department at a Connecticut health system faced sudden provider turnover, which disrupted access to GI care.
With new hires nine months away, the health system turned to the Medicus Transition Program to ensure access to care and support program growth until the permanent gastroenterologists could be onboarded.
Key Results of the Gastroenterology Transition Project:
- Quality Coverage: Medicus sourced and onboarded four locum tenens gastroenterologists who aligned with the health system's clinical and operational needs.
- Program Stability: The addition of four locum tenens gastroenterologists helped stabilize the GI program, maintain continuity of care, and prevent a backlog of cases.
- Improved Provider Well-being: By placing a clinically and culturally aligned locum tenens gastroenterologist, Medicus helped alleviate stress and reduce burnout among permanent staff.
“We were thoroughly impressed by the quality and professionalism of the locum tenens providers Medicus brought to our facility. Each physician played a crucial role in maintaining consistent GI care, enabling us to meet patient needs seamlessly. Should we face unexpected gaps in coverage again, Medicus will be our first call.” - Health System Leadership
Addressing Staffing Challenges in a New York City OB/GYN Department
A New York City health system faced unexpected provider turnover within its OB/GYN department, which interrupted patient care and significantly strained operational revenue.
To restore stability and boost revenue, the health system planned to shift its OB/GYN team to outpatient clinics and build a separate OB hospitalist team. Persistent recruitment and retention challenges for OB/GYNs and certified nurse midwives (CNMs) prompted leadership to engage the Medicus Transition Program.
Key Results of the OB/GYN Transition Project:
- Efficient Deployment: Medicus credentialed 20 locum tenens OB/GYNs and CNMs in under 45 days, enabling the implementation of an OB hospitalist team and the transition of permanent providers to outpatient care.
- Increased Revenue: The new OB hospitalist staffing model significantly increased revenue from office-based and labor and delivery services, opening future revenue streams in pediatrics and surgical specialties.
- Seamless Care: Medicus helped establish a full-time employed OB hospitalist program and continues to provide CNM locum coverage that supports continuity of care.
"The Medicus Transition Program truly enabled our health system to reach our goal of building a full and separate OB hospitalist team. Medicus' prompt and reliable staffing solutions allowed us to maintain high standards of patient care during a critical transition period. We are now able to ensure increased, continuous access to women's health and prenatal care thanks to Medicus. In addition, we have been able to regain unclaimed revenue, ensuring our health system is running efficiently." - Health System Leadership
The Importance of a Staffing Contingency Plan
Recruiting and onboarding a new physician or advanced practitioner can take 6 to 18 months, a lengthy process that can disrupt patient care and strain existing staff. Having a contingency plan in place can help health systems swiftly navigate provider turnover, preserving care continuity and supporting staff well-being.
Building that plan begins with the right partner. The Medicus Transition Program offers an innovative locum tenens staffing solution, designed to address clinical staffing challenges with accountability and reliability. Tailored to each healthcare facility's unique needs, the Medicus Transition Program can be used to equip health systems with a strategic safeguard they can rely on during unexpected provider turnover or other clinical staffing challenges. Plus, our permanent recruitment division, Optimum, can work as an extension of your recruitment team to recruit qualified providers to your organization.
By partnering with Medicus, healthcare organizations can manage unexpected turnover confidently and ensure their patients continue to receive high-quality care without interruption.
Faced with unexpected provider turnover and in need of long-term locum tenens coverage? Complete the short form below to connect with a Medicus team member.
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