A Mississippi hospital system was in a bind after it lost three emergency medicine physicians in a short period of time. To make matters worse, the system experienced substantial leadership changes while expanding its operations.
Down three physicians while contending with turmoil at the top, the challenge was clear: source board-certified, fellowship-trained EM physicians and seamlessly integrate them into the facility’s operations – yesterday.
“They were slowly merging their hospital groups at the time and had some retirements and departures,” Interim Physicians Senior Account Executive Jaron Leake, recalls. “One physician relocated to a different department, another retired, and a third went on maternity leave. That’s how it all started.”
Leveraging our extensive network of locum tenens EM doctors in the Southeast, we hit the ground running with our candidate search. Leake contacted the system’s hiring managers straight away to understand their specific requirements, which included some unique restrictions that would make the search difficult for less experienced locum tenens agencies.
Not a problem for Team IP.
In Case of Emergency, Call Interim
“One of the challenges with this system was that their bylaws require board-certified, fellowship-trained providers,” Leake explained. “That certainly limited the candidate pool in the market, but it wasn’t an issue for us. We were confident we could identify several high-quality candidates right off the bat. And sure enough, our recruiting team secured a perfectly matched provider ready for immediate deployment and two really solid backups.”
Leake’s proactive service, combined with our team’s robust internal vetting processes, ensured we presented the candidates to our client’s hiring managers as quickly as humanly possible.
Once approved by the client, our Quality Assurance team promptly went to work on the credentialing and paperwork process, allowing the client to sit back, relax, and await the provider’s start date.
The entire process—from Leake’s initial conversation with the hiring managers to the first shifts we covered—took only two months.
“The speed at which we can place providers all varies depending on specialty and availability,” Leake stated. “Speed is something we pride ourselves on. The EM specialty has specific needs, but we knew we could find a quality provider. We started the search at the end of January, had a candidate presented in February, and confirmed in March.”
The quick solutions provided by Leake and the Interim Physicians team exceeded the client’s expectations by a country mile. The Mississippi system’s hiring managers were impressed by our ability to locate multiple highly skilled providers and facilitate candidate interviews on their preferred timeline.
Building Trust Through Reliable Service
“We placed our candidate, and then they ended up hiring another permanent physician who had just come out of residency,” Leake added. “There have been some changes where their needs will increase, and we’ll be there to provide continued help.”
Urgent EM coverage was just the beginning. After placing the client’s EM physician and earning their trust, we received an immediate follow-up request for locum gastroenterology coverage at one of their facilities.
“The client reached out again and said, ‘Hey, we have a GI need. Is that something you guys can help with?’ They said they only wanted to work with us because they trusted us to deliver quality providers,” Leake stated.
The client commended our teamwork and dedication, recognizing our efforts in making the process hassle-free. This trust led to a strengthened relationship, earning so much confidence that the system chose Interim Physicians as their preferred partner for any future staffing needs.
“I followed up with the client, arranging a call with the entire team so we could have an open, honest conversation about their needs and challenges,” Leake said. “We have communicated clearly with them at every step, informing them of what we need to do to streamline the process so we can place providers quickly. Interim’s consistent communication has been a significant part of our success, which has separated us from the competition.”
Our successful partnership with this Mississippi hospital system is a testament to Interim Physicians’ particular brand of excellence in locum tenens staffing. Our fast action, seamless integration, and quality commitment set us apart like night and day to the client, who had never encountered that level of service from other agencies.
By providing swift solutions to complex staffing challenges, the Interim team ensured continuous patient care and support for the hospitals in need during a critical period of transition and expansion.
We’re happy to say the best is yet to come.
