Locums data point, your thoughts?

[glyco4all]

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Recently, I was presented by a locum agency for an outpatient job and was granted an interview. The initial pay offer was 325/hr for supposedly pediatric ASA 1 or 2 patients only. My counter was for 375/hr, 3k minimum. The interview was scheduled with an administrative person, who said "no problem, we can do 450/hr."

Fast forward to the phone call the next day with the recruiter who says, "They think you're a perfect fit, but the pay FOR YOU is still 325/hr. The 450/hr is what the agency will be paid." Ummm, no.

Interesting. I can't imagine what the agency is being paid for my 385/hr, plus airfare, hotel, and rental car job.

A couple days later, three or four agencies contact me about the same job......the contract went open and spread like wildfire.

 

[aneftp]

You aren’t making much sense and it’s hard to follow

Where is the $385/hr coming from?

Have you talked to other agencies?

They offered u $325hr the first agency

What did the other agencies offer you? $385//hr?

 

[NPJR]

Recently, I was presented by a locum agency for an outpatient job and was granted an interview. The initial pay offer was 325/hr for supposedly pediatric ASA 1 or 2 patients only. My counter was for 375/hr, 3k minimum. The interview was scheduled with an administrative person, who said "no problem, we can do 450/hr."

Fast forward to the phone call the next day with the recruiter who says, "They think you're a perfect fit, but the pay FOR YOU is still 325/hr. The 450/hr is what the agency will be paid." Ummm, no.

Interesting. I can't imagine what the agency is being paid for my 385/hr, plus airfare, hotel, and rental car job.

A couple days later, three or four agencies contact me about the same job......the contract went open and spread like wildfire.

Tell em to go blow and find something else. Next time DONT USE A RECRUITER

 

[glyco4all]

You aren’t making much sense and it’s hard to follow

Where is the $385/hr coming from?

Have you talked to other agencies?

They offered u $325hr the first agency

What did the other agencies offer you? $385//hr?

Thank you for taking the time to reply. You're right. Now that i reread it, it doesn't seem to make much sense.

I recently applied for a locum job and the client told me they were willing to pay the agency 450/hr, but the agency wouldn't pay me more than 325/hr.

I currently have a locum job that pays me 385/hr plus all expenses, so I can only imagine what the client is paying them.

 

[glyco4all]

Tell em to go blow and find something else. Next time DONT USE A RECRUITER

Good call! Totally agree!

 

[Burned_Out]

IF they offer you 325, the agency is getting 550-600+/hr. Four years ago, I received an erroneous email from the hospital I was covering saying they were paying my agency 500/hr when the agency paid me 300/hr.

 

[Burned_Out]

IF they offer you 325, the agency is getting 550-600+/hr. Four years ago, I received an erroneous email from the hospital I was covering saying they were paying my agency 500/hr when the agency paid me 300/hr.

Furthermore, I would not cover peds for any less than 450/hr, if even that. Too much liability even if they're healthy. The last peds place I locum at didn't even have an adequate peds cart. Like the smallest ETT they had was a 4.0 cuffed and they were giving me 6 month old patients.

 

[AdmiralChz]

IF they offer you 325, the agency is getting 550-600+/hr.

Uh, as someone who used to use agencies for staffing last year the delta was nowhere near this high. It’s up to the company what they pay you but usually we saw 25-50 max extra an hour to the agency. And that was only for big agencies, small MD or solo agencies got the advertised rate.

 

[aneftp]

Uh, as someone who used to use agencies for staffing last year the delta was nowhere near this high. It’s up to the company what they pay you but usually we saw 25-50 max extra an hour to the agency. And that was only for big agencies, small MD or solo agencies got the advertised rate.

Correct. At the end of the day follow the money trail and who is ultimately paying the locums bill.

My sister group was asked to cover a former Napa practice in the northeast.

Hospital paid the group $550/hr. They turned around and paid the locums md $350hr plus expenses but saved a ton not using locums from out of the area. Big profit. The partners who covers the shifts themselves got the entire $550/hr.

But at ASC they covered was only paying the group $425/hr. So much smaller margin to play with. So they paid locums docs $300/hr with 6 hr gurantee MD only practice.

The ASC had less money to fork over than the big hospital system.

If the hospital is paying for it. U betcha it’s over $500/hr up to $600/hr for anesthesia coverage. And the locums agency decides what to pay the locums after expenses

 

[texaslocums]

Recently, I was presented by a locum agency for an outpatient job and was granted an interview. The initial pay offer was 325/hr for supposedly pediatric ASA 1 or 2 patients only. My counter was for 375/hr, 3k minimum. The interview was scheduled with an administrative person, who said "no problem, we can do 450/hr."

Fast forward to the phone call the next day with the recruiter who says, "They think you're a perfect fit, but the pay FOR YOU is still 325/hr. The 450/hr is what the agency will be paid." Ummm, no.

Interesting. I can't imagine what the agency is being paid for my 385/hr, plus airfare, hotel, and rental car job.

A couple days later, three or four agencies contact me about the same job......the contract went open and spread like wildfire.

I too was accidentally sent compensation to the agency vs. what I was being paid. It was >50% of my pay. Locums agencies will tell you “the hospital is offering X amount” but I think if they can get you to take less then the agency keeps more. Here’s why: I’ve talked with other locums docs when I’ve been at assignments where nearly every provider was locums. We were all getting different rates. It’s hard for me to believe that’s cause the hospital is offering a different rate to each doctor. I think they offer the agency a flat rate per hour and the agency then tried to recruit people who will take the least amount.

 

[aneftp]

I too was accidentally sent compensation to the agency vs. what I was being paid. It was >50% of my pay. Locums agencies will tell you “the hospital is offering X amount” but I think if they can get you to take less then the agency keeps more. Here’s why: I’ve talked with other locums docs when I’ve been at assignments where nearly every provider was locums. We were all getting different rates. It’s hard for me to believe that’s cause the hospital is offering a different rate to each doctor. I think they offer the agency a flat rate per hour and the agency then tried to recruit people who will take the least amount.

Another method is to offer a recruiter 10 of us at the same time. The Chinese mass volume method. The recruiter takes less of a cut but we get more as a global group locums rate per hour.

Strength in numbers

 

[Guillemot]

I was shared the daily rate of what the locums agencies billed the hospital at one place. The agencies kept about 35% plus minus a couple percent in either direction depending upon what the individual physician negotiated.

 

[texaslocums]

Here’s the problem with not using a recruiter (I have done both): there are some built in protections with a recruiter. They make sure you are scheduled, are usually quite aggressive about obtaining work for you and your schedule is confirmed and can’t be changed at the last minute. They make sure your rate is fixed and can’t be lowered when the hospital gets the idea to play locums off each other to see who will take the lowest rate. They make sure your contract is enforced. In short, despite their shortcomings they are generally in your corner. All things considered I think a good locums agency is better than going it alone. If you do go it alone make sure your contract has the same protections in it as a locums company offers. One caveat: with either contract make sure any noncompete applies only to that specific hospital if possible otherwise you can get locked out of finding a better job in the area for up to 2 years! Despite what people think noncompetes are enforced in the state where they are written (ie the state the locums company is located) and are indeed enforceable currently.

 

[aneftp]

Here’s the problem with not using a recruiter (I have done both): there are some built in protections with a recruiter. They make sure you are scheduled, are usually quite aggressive about obtaining work for you and your schedule is confirmed and can’t be changed at the last minute. They make sure your rate is fixed and can’t be lowered when the hospital gets the idea to play locums off each other to see who will take the lowest rate. They make sure your contract is enforced. In short, despite their shortcomings they are generally in your corner. All things considered I think a good locums agency is better than going it alone. If you do go it alone make sure your contract has the same protections in it as a locums company offers. One caveat: with either contract make sure any noncompete applies only to that specific hospital if possible otherwise you can get locked out of finding a better job in the area for up to 2 years! Despite what people think noncompetes are enforced in the state where they are written (ie the state the locums company is located) and are indeed enforceable currently.

Agree on most points

100% agree with u 100% depend on 1099 locums income every day of your life

If u are prn 1099 like me generating 400-800k 1099 on the side. I really don’t care if cancel on me even on one days notice. It’s no skin off my back.

My flexibility allows me to work and they know that and will make it up to me with other preferred shifts over other locums.

But like I said. If u absolutely depend on 1099 income. Yes. Make sure you don’t get canceled and lock in 30 days pay if they cancel on you at the last minute. Shockingly many pure 1099 locums without other jobs live paycheck to paycheck. Or psychologically feel like they live paycheck to paycheck.

 

[NPJR]

Here’s the problem with not using a recruiter (I have done both): there are some built in protections with a recruiter. They make sure you are scheduled, are usually quite aggressive about obtaining work for you and your schedule is confirmed and can’t be changed at the last minute. They make sure your rate is fixed and can’t be lowered when the hospital gets the idea to play locums off each other to see who will take the lowest rate. They make sure your contract is enforced. In short, despite their shortcomings they are generally in your corner. All things considered I think a good locums agency is better than going it alone. If you do go it alone make sure your contract has the same protections in it as a locums company offers. One caveat: with either contract make sure any noncompete applies only to that specific hospital if possible otherwise you can get locked out of finding a better job in the area for up to 2 years! Despite what people think noncompetes are enforced in the state where they are written (ie the state the locums company is located) and are indeed enforceable currently.

Sure.

I worked with a well known locums company about 15 years ago. The contract ended because of loss of sites on the clients end. At the time the contract ended he (the client owed me about 65k). I said where is my money? The Locums company said we usually wait for the client to pay us the we pay you. I said BULL****.
I called the client (his name was Joel.. president of the company) Joel says dont worry we never screwed anyone ever since weve been in business. Youll get your money. I instantly get 45K check sent to my house. The remaining 20k he wouldnt pay me. He said we are having revenue cycle issues. Finally, after months trying, I get this assho on the phone and he agrees to pay me 1k per week for half a year. Which he did..... But it took me over a year to get this resolved. Locums company were scumbags and so was the client. DOnt trust any of them. It was around 08-09 financial crisis times. So Locums companies are not saints.

If they decided just simply not to pay me I would have to eat that? There would be very little I could do, I guess i could have spent 10k on a lawyer to try to recover 20 k..

 

[Burned_Out]

Sure.

I worked with a well known locums company about 15 years ago. The contract ended because of loss of sites on the clients end. At the time the contract ended he (the client owed me about 65k). I said where is my money? The Locums company said we usually wait for the client to pay us the we pay you. I said BULL****.
I called the client (his name was Joel.. president of the company) Joel says dont worry we never screwed anyone ever since weve been in business. Youll get your money. I instantly get 45K check sent to my house. The remaining 20k he wouldnt pay me. He said we are having revenue cycle issues. Finally, after months trying, I get this assho on the phone and he agrees to pay me 1k per week for half a year. Which he did..... But it took me over a year to get this resolved. Locums company were scumbags and so was the client. DOnt trust any of them. It was around 08-09 financial crisis times. So Locums companies are not saints.

If they decided just simply not to pay me I would have to eat that? There would be very little I could do, I guess i could have spent 10k on a lawyer to try to recover 20 k..

Care to name this locums company, just in case they're still around?