locum hospitalist physician positions - suggestions and recommendations?

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bernoulli
Posts: 141
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2019 12:13 pm

locum hospitalist physician positions - suggestions and recommendations?

Post by bernoulli »

Mid-career hospitalist, has been a local locum in Texas for a few years. Recently, most of the hospitalist groups and hospitals in the area have been bought out by various private equity firms who put profit above everything else. Would like to see if there are still smaller, more independent locum groups that the forum recommends. Thanks.
snowday2022
Posts: 721
Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2022 1:48 pm

Re: locum hospitalist physician positions - suggestions and recommendations?

Post by snowday2022 »

bernoulli wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:04 am Mid-career hospitalist, has been a local locum in Texas for a few years. Recently, most of the hospitalist groups and hospitals in the area have been bought out by various private equity firms who put profit above everything else. Would like to see if there are still smaller, more independent locum groups that the forum recommends. Thanks.
How has the job changed under PE?
mhalley
Posts: 10432
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:02 am

Re: locum hospitalist physician positions - suggestions and recommendations?

Post by mhalley »

No personal experience with locums work, but I see there is a locums tenens guy that reviews companies. Not exactly what you asked for.
https://thelocumguy.com/locum-tenens-companies-reviews/
You might post on the WCI forum too.
https://forum.whitecoatinvestor.com/
Last edited by mhalley on Sat Jun 03, 2023 1:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
chassis
Posts: 2183
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:28 pm

Re: locum hospitalist physician positions - suggestions and recommendations?

Post by chassis »

bernoulli wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:04 am Mid-career hospitalist, has been a local locum in Texas for a few years. Recently, most of the hospitalist groups and hospitals in the area have been bought out by various private equity firms who put profit above everything else. Would like to see if there are still smaller, more independent locum groups that the forum recommends. Thanks.
Ask fellow physicians and report back to this thread with their input.
Doctor Rhythm
Posts: 3061
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 2:55 am

Re: locum hospitalist physician positions - suggestions and recommendations?

Post by Doctor Rhythm »

No specific knowledge of this. Only thought is to look into academically-affiliated hospitals, which are typically staffed by providers hired by the university rather than an outside HMG. Expect both census and compensation to be lower.
Topic Author
bernoulli
Posts: 141
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2019 12:13 pm

Re: locum hospitalist physician positions - suggestions and recommendations?

Post by bernoulli »

snowday2022 wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 12:54 pm
bernoulli wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:04 am Mid-career hospitalist, has been a local locum in Texas for a few years. Recently, most of the hospitalist groups and hospitals in the area have been bought out by various private equity firms who put profit above everything else. Would like to see if there are still smaller, more independent locum groups that the forum recommends. Thanks.
How has the job changed under PE?
Everything turned worse. As a starter, intentional understaffing which endangers patient safety. Census is sometimes as high as 40+ patients per hospitalist and the pay is based on approximately 18 to 20. Without giving too much details, one place cut my pay for a few hours after I had already finished my shift because they weren't as busy as they had hoped so "they were losing money that day." It is a total breach of contract of course but they were counting on not being held accountable because of their power over hospital privileges and shifts.

Here are a few public articles about PE squeezing physicians and patients alike for profit.

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/ ... ecialties/

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-c ... -rcna69563
chassis
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Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:28 pm

Re: locum hospitalist physician positions - suggestions and recommendations?

Post by chassis »

bernoulli wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 3:35 pm
snowday2022 wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 12:54 pm
bernoulli wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:04 am Mid-career hospitalist, has been a local locum in Texas for a few years. Recently, most of the hospitalist groups and hospitals in the area have been bought out by various private equity firms who put profit above everything else. Would like to see if there are still smaller, more independent locum groups that the forum recommends. Thanks.
How has the job changed under PE?
Everything turned worse. As a starter, intentional understaffing which endangers patient safety. Census is sometimes as high as 40+ patients per hospitalist and the pay is based on approximately 18 to 20. Without giving too much details, one place cut my pay for a few hours after I had already finished my shift because they weren't as busy as they had hoped so "they were losing money that day." It is a total breach of contract of course but they were counting on not being held accountable because of their power over hospital privileges and shifts.

Here are a few public articles about PE squeezing physicians and patients alike for profit.

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/ ... ecialties/

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-c ... -rcna69563
Interesting but not surprising that PE owners implement such cost management measures. This is the same in principle as the longstanding and widespread practice of sending $15 per hour manufacturing employees home after 4 hours of work (and being paid for only those 4 hours) because there is insufficient product demand to be manufactured that day.
snowday2022
Posts: 721
Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2022 1:48 pm

Re: locum hospitalist physician positions - suggestions and recommendations?

Post by snowday2022 »

bernoulli wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 3:35 pm
snowday2022 wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 12:54 pm
bernoulli wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:04 am Mid-career hospitalist, has been a local locum in Texas for a few years. Recently, most of the hospitalist groups and hospitals in the area have been bought out by various private equity firms who put profit above everything else. Would like to see if there are still smaller, more independent locum groups that the forum recommends. Thanks.
How has the job changed under PE?
Everything turned worse. As a starter, intentional understaffing which endangers patient safety. Census is sometimes as high as 40+ patients per hospitalist and the pay is based on approximately 18 to 20. Without giving too much details, one place cut my pay for a few hours after I had already finished my shift because they weren't as busy as they had hoped so "they were losing money that day." It is a total breach of contract of course but they were counting on not being held accountable because of their power over hospital privileges and shifts.

Here are a few public articles about PE squeezing physicians and patients alike for profit.

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/ ... ecialties/

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-c ... -rcna69563
Thanks for sharing. Are hospitalists typically paid per shift or by RVU/collections/volume? 40 seems insanely high.
Rcf
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2016 10:53 pm

Re: locum hospitalist physician positions - suggestions and recommendations?

Post by Rcf »

I have been doing locums for several years as a medical sub specialist. I have been very pleased with the service of Comp Health and Weatherby. I think they are both owned by the same organization.
Topic Author
bernoulli
Posts: 141
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2019 12:13 pm

Re: locum hospitalist physician positions - suggestions and recommendations?

Post by bernoulli »

snowday2022 wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 9:05 pm Thanks for sharing. Are hospitalists typically paid per shift or by RVU/collections/volume? 40 seems insanely high.
Locum hospitalists like myself are always paid per shift on an hourly rate. That is why the hospitals have all the financial incentives to pile on the patient/doctor ratio. RVU is conceptually more equitable but in practice, I rarely see it working to the advantage of physicians. A prominent staffing company just settled a class action suit for underpaying RVUs.

one example https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-set ... ettlement/
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