These newly formed teams, consisting of experienced primary care recruiters and account managers as well as newly hired staff, will be serving clients nationwide from each of our four national staffing centers (in Florida, Massachusetts, and Connecticut).

As is the case with many medical specialties, we expect the Pediatrics field to be substantially impacted by the growing physician shortage in the U.S.  The number of Pediatricians completing training is not increasing at the rate required to match increased demand.  The shortage will be exacerbated by healthcare reform (which will result in millions of newly insured Americans) and is projected to continue to grow until it peaks in 2020.

We’re very excited to have the opportunity to help MDs and NPs find great Pediatric jobs and to be able to help medical facilities and practices ensure quality care and maximize patient access and revenue streams.

To learn more about our Pediatric locum tenens services, simply give us a call at 877.341.9606 or complete any of the forms on our site.  On behalf of our new Pediatric staffing teams, we sincerely look forward to working with you!

A few key items:

• Locum tenens nurse practitioner staffing requests handled by our teams increased by 71% in 2011 – which is great news for our locum NPs.
• Our network of locum tenens NPs grew by 82% in 2011 – putting us in an even better position to serve facility and practice clients in need of nurse practitioner coverage.
• The average length of nurse practitioner locum assignments increased significantly in 2011 compared to 2010.

Our nurse practitioner staffing team expects continued growth in 2012 due to a variety of factors, including:

• The U.S. physician shortage (expected to peak in 2020). Nurse practitioners are well positioned to help alleviate the effects of this shortage and are an attractive option for short-staffed medical facilities and practices.
• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (federal health care reform) is expected to increase patient demand for primary care services.  This reform, coupled with the existing physician shortage, will further strain capacity and locum tenens nurse practitioners will be (increasingly) relied upon to help practices maintain patient access, continuity of care, and revenue generation.
• NPs can be a cost-effective alternative to MDs in many cases. In general, nurse practitioners can perform many of the functions of a primary care doctor and are increasingly seen as a viable and valuable alternative to MDs by many medical facilities and practices.  In addition, popular retail health clinics are often staffed, all or in part, by nurse practitioners, which will lead to further increases in demand.

We’re taking steps to make sure we’re prepared to grow with the NP staffing market:

• We plan to bring new account management and recruiting staff onboard in 2012 to more effectively serve those interested in nurse practitioner locum jobs and health care facilities and practices in need of locum tenens nurse practitioner staffing solutions.
• We will also be developing and implementing comprehensive training programs for our teams on the NP staffing market in order to solidify our position as a leading temporary nurse practitioner staffing agency.
• Our marketing and technology teams will be deploying improved traditional and mobile web tools in 2012 in order to make the process of finding nurse practitioner jobs and nurse practitioner staffing solutions as efficient as possible for our locums and clients.
• We established a New License Assistance Program last year that allows us to pay for new licenses for nurse practitioners.  We will be expanding this program in 2012 in order to continue effectively serving medical facilities and practices in need of coverage and to open the door to new nurse practitioner jobs across the country for our NPs.

Our nurse practitioner staffing teams are fully committed to being leaders in the locum tenens NP staffing industry and to providing high quality, fast, and efficient services throughout the United States.  To learn more about our nurse practitioner locum tenens staffing solutions, give us a call at 877.341.9606 today or complete any of the numerous forms on our site.

We hope you had a great holiday season and we look forward to working with you in 2012!

A couple of key stats:

• The number of locum tenens staffing requests handled by our team increased by 43% in 2011 (v. 2010).
• The average length of each assignment handled by our team increased by 152% in 2011 (v. 2010).  This is a strong indicator that hospitals are increasingly relying on locums for long term, chronic staffing challenges.

The growth in the Hospitalist locum tenens market will continue:

Our Hospitalist locum tenens team is convinced that this trend is set to continue for the foreseeable future, due to a wide variety of factors, including:

• Increased implementation of Hospitalist programs nationwide:

> The existence of a Hospitalist program at a facility is a key selling point and can lead to increased admissions and thereby increased revenue opportunities.

> Hospitalist programs allow facilities to implement efficient processes and more effective cost control strategies when compared to the traditional model.

> Hospitalist programs can lead to higher quality and more efficient patient care when compared to the traditional model.

• There is nationwide shortage of physicians (including Hospitalists).  This shortage is expected to continue through the next decade, and that is a conservative estimate.  This shortage is having an especially significant effect on Primary Care physicians, making the existence of a robust Hospitalist program a must-have offering for hospitals nationwide.
• The demand for Hospitalists will continue to grow due to many other factors as well, including health care legislation and an aging population.  Due to physician ramp up time and structural issues in our medical education system, it could take 10+ years for the supply of physicians to compensate for increased demand.
• The shift-based nature of Hospitalist work makes locum tenens staffing an ideal solution for short staffed hospitals and physicians interested in obtaining additional work.

How is Barton Associates supporting the growth of this market?

Barton Associates is committed to providing robust support for the growing Hospitalist locum tenens market.

• In 2011, we developed Hospitalist teams in both Connecticut and Florida (in addition to our Massachusetts team) to manage increased demand.  We are currently planning to add an additional Hospitalist team on the West Coast in 2013.
• In 2011, the size of our Hospitalist team increased to meet demand.  We plan to further increase the size of this team by an additional 50% in 2012.
• Our Hospitalist teams focus exclusively on Hospitalist locum tenens assignments – they are experts in the market and are rigorously trained in the intricacies of the field.
• We have ramped up our new license assistance program in 2011 whereby we pay new state license fees and handle licensing logistics for physicians.  This has drastically improved our ability to support clients in need of coverage and opened the door to new opportunities for our locums.

To learn more about our Hospitalist locum tenens staffing solutions, give us a call at 877.341.9606 today.

Locum tenens is a great option for those:

• Seeking their first post-training position
• Filling the gap between residency and fellowship
• Seeking to augment income from a permanent position

And, increasingly, doctors are recognizing the benefits of locum tenens work and are choosing to be full time locum doctors.

Here are just a few of the advantages locum tenens jobs can have over a traditional permanent position:

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

Check out our page for residents & fellows.

Barton Associates has many outstanding physicians and nurse practitioners with availability over the holidays that would be happy to step in and help you and your team.  Whether you’re concerned with maintaining patient access, continuity of care, or revenue streams for your business, we’re here to help.

This is also a great time to begin planning for 2012 Physician staffing and Nurse Practitioner staffing needs.  The locum tenens experts at Barton Associates are here to help you manage urgent staffing needs as well as to help you develop a long term strategy to manage all of your 2012 staffing challenges.  Give us a call at 877.341.9606 or complete any of the numerous forms on our website (including our request coverage form) to learn more about how we can help you make 2012 a great year for you and your team.  We think you’ll find locum tenens staffing solutions through Barton Associates to be an invaluable asset as we head into the New Year.

And finally, we sincerely hope you and your family have a great holiday season from everyone at Barton Associates!

• Make sure you have a complete collection of all your credentialing materials. It is often best to keep everything in one spot so you know where to find it. See our article on locum tenens credentialing tips.

• Keep accurate records of payments received and expenses incurred as a locum tenens. Generally speaking, as a locum tenens you are a 1099 independent contractor. This means that nothing is withheld from your pay check for taxes and other purposes – keeping track of income and expenses throughout the year can make tax time a breeze.

• Stay on top of all state licenses and certifications at the appropriate times. Renewing a license or certification is time consuming and never something you want to have to do at the last minute.  And remember, Barton can help you with this.  We can pay new and renewal state license fees for you and also help you with licensure paperwork and logistics.  Learn more about our locum tenens credentialing team.

• It is best to keep all your paperwork with you while on assignment. Oftentimes, you are lining up your next assignment while on your current locum tenens assignment. The next facility or practice you are going to will probably not have time to wait for you to return home and get your paperwork. It is very easy to scan and save your credentialing documents to a USB drive or to save them all to an internet site, such as Google Docs.

• Keep up-to-date on current technology – everything from EMR proficiency to experience with cutting edge procedures will make you more marketable to facilities and practices.

• You should have a clear and accurate calendar detailing all of your locums assignments – including where you were in the past and where you are going in the future. This will help to eliminate any confusion about availability and work history. Barton Associates has an excellent credentialing team that can help you with this process.

• Maintaining an accurate list of where your CV has been submitted is also key. You do not want two companies to submit your CV to the same client for the same job.

• Make the most of your travels. You should take advantage of frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs and points clubs.  Your locum tenens related travel can easily result in free trips!

• It is important to do your homework when choosing a recruiter.  Does the locum tenens agency:

> Offer competitive compensation?

> Have an experienced recruiting team committed to your success as a locum?

> Have short and long term jobs available nationwide in a wide-variety of practice areas?

> Offer to pay new state license fees for you and help with licensure related paperwork?

> Provide ‘A’ rated medical malpractice insurance?

> Provide comprehensive support before, during, and after your assignment?

When you work with Barton Associates, the answer is yes to all of the above.  Learn more about the Barton Difference.

Barton Associates will be exhibiting at the 2011 American College of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly on October 15-18, 2011 in San Francisco, CA.

Are you attending the conference as well?  If so, please stop by to meet our team, learn more about emergency medicine locum tenens staffing through Barton Associates, and register to win an iPad!

We’ll be at booth 1740 – right by the snack bar and restaurant areas.  We look forward to seeing you there!

If you’re attending as well, please stop by to meet us, learn more about family medicine locum tenens staffing through Barton Associates, and register to win an Amazon Kindle!

We’ll be at booth #309.  We hope to see you there!

The locum tenens experts of Barton’s Boston office came out in full force at the 2011 Take the Lake 5K in Wakefield, MA to support the New England Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NECCS).  In fact, Barton Associates had the largest team at the event!

The event was a huge success and raised over $27,000.

The New England Coalition for Cancer Survivorship is a community of cancer survivors, caregivers, friends, professionals, and cancer-related organizations committed to advancing efforts to improve the quality of life for those affected by cancer.  To learn more about this great organization, visit http://www.neccs.org/.

Here are some factors to consider when exploring locum tenens agencies:

The Business Model

Many locum tenens agencies are reactive in nature – a job opening comes in, and the agency begins a candidate search.  This approach is inefficient, time consuming, and, at the end of the day, there are no guarantees that the search will be a success.

Barton Associates is a proactive locum tenens company.  Every day, our recruiting team connects with new locums across the country.  Our network of talented locums grows daily.  While there are no guarantees, our proactive approach drastically increases the likelihood that we’ll be able to provide you with an effective staffing solution—quickly and efficiently.

This may seem like a minor distinction but the practical implications are significant.

Learn more about the Barton Difference.

New License Assistance

All locum tenens companies will say they can fill your need.  However, if the agency has fifty doctors, one licensed in each state, the chances that doctor will be available to fill your need are exceedingly slim.

Barton Associates actively helps locum tenens doctors and nurse practitioners obtain new state licenses (by paying state licensing fees and providing logistical support).  What does this mean for you?  It means that the odds are pretty good that we’ll have a locum in your practice area, licensed in your state, ready to step in and help you with your coverage need.

Credentialing Support

Navigating the credentialing process is typically the last, most critical, and often most challenging piece of the locum tenens staffing puzzle.  It can make or break the assignment.  It is imperative that the locum tenens company you choose has a robust credentialing support department. If they don’t, you’re rolling the dice.

Barton Associates has a highly-skilled credentialing team with extensive experience helping clients successfully (and efficiently) navigate credentialing.  They’ve seen it all and are well-versed in the intricacies and potential pitfalls of the credentialing process.

The Hiring Process

How does the locum tenens company manage the locum tenens hiring process?  Are they simply going to send over a stack of CVs for your review, ask you to choose a candidate, and disappear?  Or does the locum tenens agency support both parties throughout the process?

Barton Associates manages the entire locum tenens staffing process for you.  When you have a coverage need, we select and submit pre-screened, thoroughly interviewed candidates that match your needs.  We coordinate interviews, assign a credentialing expert to serve as the liaison between your credentialing department and the locum, and handle any travel related arrangements.  We only ask that you let us know what you need and select a candidate.  It’s that easy.

Malpractice Coverage

Many locum tenens companies charge additional separate fees associated with medical malpractice insurance—keep an eye out for this.  Barton Associates provides ‘A’ rated malpractice insurance coverage for our locums on assignment at no additional charge.  After all, one of the advantages of locum tenens staffing is that malpractice coverage is provided by the locum tenens agency!

When you consider these and other factors, we think you’ll find Barton Associates among the top locum tenens companies out there.  We encourage you to explore our site and reach out to us via phone at 877-341-9606 or by completing any of the forms on our site (such as our request coverage form) to learn more!