Sumo Medial Staffing

I’m a physician. Can I hire locum doctors myself?

Yes. Some physicians hire locums to substitute for them for a time. The physician can then bill and receive payment for his/her substitute physician “as if they [the regular physician] provided the care themselves.” 

There are certain guidelines for doing this, of course. As just one example: the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says the hiring physician can receive payment for using a locum so long as  certain conditions are met:  

1. The patient desires to see the regular physician, but the regular physician is unavailable. 

2. The regular physician pays the substitute physician on a per diem or fee-for-service basis. 

3. The substitute physician doesn’t see Medicare patients for a continuous time frame longer than 60 days (an allowable exception to this rule is if the regular physician has been called to active duty in the Armed Forces). 

4. Claims are submitted using the appropriate HCPCS modifier when billing for physician services rendered. 

Can a new physician work as a locum? 

It depends. If the newly minted doctor is fully credentialed, then, yes, he or she potentially could work as a locum. If they aren’t yet credentialed, then, no. 

However… some specialties do use locums who are in their last six months of residency. The decision to do so depends on the facility doing the hiring, the agency providing locums and even the resident physician’s residency program restrictions (or lack of). 

Can a locum work at a practice or hospital for three-to-six months or longer?

Yes. Most locum assignments tend to be two weeks to two months long, but some are months long. Some assignments can be as much as six months to a year, but longer assignments are rare. 

I’ve heard that many healthcare professionals have quit practicing as a result of the extreme stress of being a nurse or doctor during the pandemic. If there are fewer healthcare pros, wouldn’t there be fewer professionals available to be a locum?

Locum work has become more attractive to healthcare pros because of the pandemic. 

After all, locum doctors could work in short “bursts” of a few weeks and then leave and take time off for a few weeks or months before accepting another assignment, something full-time health pros couldn’t. 

Even the former board president of the American Nursing Association said in early 2023 that “Allied Staffing and Locum Tenens will both grow by single digits, driven by clinician shortages and COVID deferred treatments;… .” 

If I like a certain locum, can I extend his/her assignment or have them on an immediate subsequent assignment? 

Of course! Many locums enjoy working at one or more facilities regularly. Many even end up working for a full year or so, just in subsequent assignments. 

But the decision is up to the locum, not you.  

Who is the employer of record for the locum, the healthcare facility or the staffing agency?

Neither: the locum is considered an independent contractor.  

This means they are responsible for their own benefits and taxes. This means they’re the ones who need to pay their local, state and federal taxes, as well as Social Security taxes.  

Yet there are some “perks” for the locums Most locum tenens staffing firms, including SUMO Staffing, provide free housing/lodging, pay for travel to and from assignments, as well as malpractice insurance coverage.  

If you have more questions about locum tenens in general, or questions about how SUMO Staffing can help your hospital, single practice or healthcare facility, contact us.