Healthcare is ever-evolving, and telehealth is growing in popularity among patients who value the convenience and safety of receiving care in their own homes. For healthcare organizations seeking to expand their telehealth services, Weatherby Healthcare has the physicians and advanced practice providers you need to staff your program across many different specialties.
Filling gaps with telehealth
Clinician staffing gaps occur for many reasons, but telehealth can make it easier for schedulers to fill openings and prevent the interruption of patient care. Simply put, more providers are interested in working temporary telehealth jobs than are willing to travel to work on-site, making it easier to fill open roles. Plus, physicians are comfortable performing telehealth visits in a variety of use cases:
Telehealth specialties available through Weatherby
Weatherby Healthcare staffs many specialties for telehealth, including:
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiology
- Emergency medicine
- Family medicine
- Gastroenterology
- General surgery
- Hospitalist
- IM subspecialties
- Medical oncology
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Orthopedic surgery
- Pediatrics
- Pediatric subspecialties
- Psychiatry
- Pulmonology
- Radiation oncology
- Radiology
- Surgery subspecialties
Dive deeper: How much do locums cost?
Using locum tenens in more flexible telehealth models
Many healthcare organizations have adopted telehealth hybrid models, using locum tenens providers for both in-person and virtual care. This allows them to maintain flexibility and ensure continuous patient care. Other organizations opt to use locum tenens providers exclusively in a remote capacity, which eliminates the travel and housing expenses typically associated with hiring locums.
Telehealth locum providers are also valuable for staffing float pools. Locum providers who are comfortable with both in-person and virtual care can easily adapt to a new environment and provide support where needed most. Locum providers can reduce the workload on employed staff, help prevent burnout, and ensure patient care remains uninterrupted. Telehealth locum providers can also flex in during peak times or unexpected staff shortages, ensuring patient needs are met in a timely way and improving patient satisfaction.
Benefits and challenges of using locums for telehealth
Using locums for telehealth offers several benefits, including cost savings, increased flexibility for both providers and patients, and improved patient satisfaction. Telehealth locum providers can reduce the reliance on physical infrastructure and associated costs while increasing patient access to care.
However, licensing can sometimes be a challenge, especially when providers need to be licensed in more than one state. State telehealth requirements vary, and many require providers to have both a license in their residing state and their practicing state for telehealth. Agencies like Weatherby offer licensing support and have processes already in place to simplify the process. This support not only simplifies the administrative burden but also ensures compliance with state regulations.
What the studies show: How locum physicians compare in quality
Locum tenens and telehealth
Telehealth is a versatile and cost-effective solution for healthcare organizations looking to expand their services or fill gaps in care. Integrating telehealth with locum tenens providers is an effective way to reach patients in remote areas, reduce the need for physical infrastructure, and provide flexible scheduling options. Not only does this enhance patient satisfaction, but it also ensures that staffing needs are met during peak times or unexpected shortages.
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Weatherby can help you staff your telehealth program with locum tenens providers. Give us a call at 954.343.3050 to learn more.
