Locum Tenens: Communication and Training is Key to Increased Reimbursements

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Respondents who have not used locum tenens previously were asked more specifically about their concerns in regards to reimbursement/billing for locum tenens services - credentialing with private insurance was consistently one of the top reasons for their anxiety, in addition to Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement.

Respondents who have utilized locum tenens previously, said that credentialing with private insurance companies was the #1 obstacle for hospitals regarding reimbursement/billing for locum tenens services, with the highest number of responses at 39.1%.

This supports the importance for facilities to understand all aspects of their privileging/credentialing processes and communicate this effectively to locum tenens agencies at the onset of their relationship. An overwhelming majority of facilities, 61.9%, said that making certain providers are credentialed with private insurance companies has contributed most to their success with reimbursements/billings for locums services.



The second most important factor in a hospital’s success with reimbursement/billings for locum tenens services is the ability of the provider to complete their patient charts and paperwork in a timely and sufficient manner. Knowledge of the facility’s EMR system, as well as completion of patient charts and paperwork properly, were listed as the top concerns in the previously mentioned question. However, providers don’t feel they’ve been given adequate training on EMR and/or billing systems.

PROVIDER ORIENTATION & TRAINING
Over half of the providers surveyed, 55%, said they feel they are not given adequate training on a facility’s EMR and/or billing systems.

Moreover, 79% of providers said that billing paperwork has never been part of their credentialing. This data deserves special attention, due to the fact that 61.9% of facilities responded that making certain providers are credentialed with private insurance is by far the most important contributor to their success.

Despite the lack of training, physicians are prepared to do their part to help facilities. When posed the question, almost 85% of providers responded favorably to additional training regarding facility-specific billing procedures and EMR systems at the onset of assignment.

Lastly, 81% of providers said it would be helpful to have extra time set aside at the end of the day to complete their patient charts and billing.

Note that for facility respondents, the second most important factor in regards to reimbursement success was completion of charts.