VISTA Voice

The growing physician shortage has a huge impact on healthcare staffing, creating challenges for medical facilities. More specifically, it’s making it difficult for them to recruit and retain quality physicians to provide proper care to patients.

According to a recent report from the Association of Medical Colleges, one of the top factors contributing to the physician shortage and demand is a growing, aging population. Other factors include turnover in rural areas and physician burnout. As a result, many specialties are in high demand, including family medicine, internal medicine and radiology. This can affect staffing in a number of ways, but utilizing the services of locum tenens can help healthcare facilities alleviate its effects and maintain consistent staff coverage.

As self-employed, independent contractors, locum tenens clinicians don’t have access to a traditional employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k) or pension plan. But that doesn't mean that they should not or cannot save for retirement, they just need to find alternatives to ensure long-term financial stability.

Fortunately, there are several different retirement plan options available, each with their own benefits. In this post, we're going to walk through the alternative ways that clinicians can save for retirement while working locum tenens.

Many myths circulate around locum tenens work, and these can cause qualified practitioners to avoid this exciting career path. It can also keep clinics and other healthcare centers from finding the professionals that they need. Therefore, we believe that it is important to continue debunking these fallacies so that the truth about locum tenens becomes more widely known.

In reality, locum tenens work provides diverse experiences, the chance to travel, and needed flexibility. Here are some myths about these roles along with facts to dispel them.

As we enter tax season, it’s important for locum tenens clinicians to plan accordingly to avoid surprises. When working locum tenens, you are considered independent contractors, and there a few things to know when filing your taxes.

What is an independent contractor?

An independent contractor is someone who is considered self-employed. This means they will receive a Form 1099-MISC and are subject to self-employment tax. Additionally, independent contractors are paid without taxes being held. They may be required to pay quarterly estimated taxes or taxes on the amounts paid throughout the year.

As an independent contractor, you have distinct advantages and challenges when preparing your taxes. Here are a few tax planning tips to help navigate the upcoming tax season:

Whether you’re considering locum tenens or just starting your journey, you can learn a lot from experienced locum tenens clinicians. These three clinicians chose VISTA because of the personalized service, assistance with licensing and certifications and location flexibility. Here’s what they had to say:

Dr. Mark Rholl, a recent retiree, used to work locum tenens assignments in various locations. Here’s why he considered locum tenens:

“I was at a meeting sitting next to someone a little younger who mentioned what a great experience he had working locum tenens. That piqued my interest, along with the fact that it could be part-time, I could work 2-6 months, then have some time off to be with family or to do some traveling.”

Dr. Rholl worked with VISTA from 2012 to 2018, which gave him an opportunity to travel and explore new communities. His wife, Carol, usually accompanied him on his assignments, and together they were able to visit places like Chinle, AZ, Ignacio, CO (with the Northern Navajo), and in rural Hana, HI. On advice for a doctor considering locum tenens:

At VISTA, a locum tenens recruiter’s job is two-fold: we are dedicated to connecting facilities with highly qualified providers and we’re passionate about helping clinicians find the perfect opportunities to grow their career. Whether there’s a travel emergency or a licensing issue, we work to ensure the process is as smooth and stress-free as possible. To get an inside look at the role of our dedicated recruiters, check out a day in the life of VISTA recruiter Xi Feng from our Hospitalist team:

As a psychiatrist, you’ve attended medical school, completed residency and earned your M.D. to diagnose, treat and prevent mental, emotional and behavioral disorders in your patients. You have the skills and abilities to provide psychological treatment, prescribe medications and perform specialized procedures in order to treat people with mental illness.

But beyond your educational background, there are other key qualities that are crucial to your role as a psychiatrist. They will help ensure you are providing quality care to your patients, as well as succeeding in your role. Here are the top five qualities of a competent psychiatrist.

There are many benefits to a career in locum tenens. You have more opportunities to travel, you can get exposure from diverse areas and backgrounds and you can manage how, when and where you want to work. However, there is a misconception that full-time clinicians in permanent positions can’t work locum tenens because there is little to no time to take on additional work and/or it may interfere with their existing role.

Fortunately, the flexibility that locum tenens offers has allowed many full-time clinicians to take this route with much success. If you’re considering a part-time opportunity, here are a few reasons why working locum tenens with a full-time job is worthwhile:

When considering taking a locum tenens assignment, there are a few details you must know before making a final decision. The location is only one factor, and speaking to your locum tenens recruiter to gain insight into the other details can help ensure you are properly prepared. Here are the six most important details to review with your recruiter about a potential locum tenens assignment:

Misinformation continues to surround use of the Q6 modifier, or the billing for services provided by a locum tenens physician. This can result in mistakes that prove costly or even detrimental to practices, as they may result in audits or further disciplinary action.

The Q6 modifier is intended to be a tool that practices can use when a physician is away for an extended period of time, therefore requiring temporary coverage by a locum tenens. It covers Part B fees, or medical claims related to the professional service provided, which are billed using the existing physician’s NPI number and the Q6 modifier.

To prevent abuse, there are stringent rules in place surrounding the conditions for using this modifier. When it is used, the surrounding circumstances must be well-documented. Carefully review the details associated with when and how to use the Q6 modifier to ensure that you remain compliant.