WHEN IT COMES to covering open positions, most hospitalist groups rely on a tried-and-true method: asking doctors already on staff to work extra shifts.
According to our most recent survey, 76.3% of adult hospitalists said their groups turn to physicians already on payroll when they need to cover open shifts. The second most common strategy—one used by 43.6% of groups—was locums. Moonlighters were the third most commonly-used solution, being deployed by 41.1% of groups.
Other strategies to fill holes in hospitalist group schedules included hiring per-diem physicians (30.1%), leaving shifts uncovered (24.2%) and bringing in APPs (15.2%).
Among pediatric hospitalists, the most popular strategy to fill open positions was turning to existing staff: 68.2% of pediatric groups said they relied on their own doctors. Leaving shifts uncovered was less popular among pediatric groups (11.4%, compared to 24.2% for adult groups).
Among hospitalists treating adults, academic groups were less likely to use locums (29.0% vs. the overall average of 43.6%) or to leave shifts uncovered (17.2% vs. 24.2%).
Leaving open shifts
Hospitalists working for hospitals and for universities/medical schools were the ones most likely to say their groups leave shifts open. Among doctors employed by hospitals, 27.6% said their groups did so while 26.9% of those employed by universities/medical schools reported the same.
That percentage was lower for local hospitalist groups, multispecialty/primary care clinics and national hospitalist management companies: About 15% of hospitalists working within these three types of groups said they left open positions uncovered.
Finally, hospitalists who work for universities and medical schools said their groups were less likely to use locums (19.2% vs. 43.6%), per-diem doctors (15.4% vs. 30.1%) and APPs (7.7% vs. 15.2%).
How does your group cover open positions?
• Locums: 43.6%
• Moonlighters: 41.1%
• Per-diem MDs: 30.1%
• Existing MDs work extra shifts: 76.3%
• APPs: 15.2%
• Leave shifts uncovered: 24.2%
VIEW DATA ON HOSPITALIST PAY from both the 2024 and the 2023 Today’s Hospitalist Compensation & Career Surveys. Our annual surveys examine how hospitalist compensation is affected by factors such as the type of patients hospitalists treat, the number of shifts they work, the number of patients they see per shift and more.
