By locum tenens, one would mean dentists who work at a dental practice temporarily to fill vacant positions. Thus, locum tenens can be viewed as dental practitioners contracted to work for a brief period based on the dental practice's requirements.
The term locum tenens comes from the Latin language and can be translated as ‘to hold the place of’ an existing practitioner in a practice. Given the competitive landscape of the dental care industry, there is a growing demand for locum dentists. The demand for locum tenens was highest in North America, with a share of just over 50% in 2023.
Since there are several practices opening with a growing customer base, there is always a demand for a locum dentist. Nearly 80% of practices intended to sustain or increase the usage of locums last year.
Many dental professionals find better opportunities as a locum dentist than taking up a permanent position in a dental practice. Some take up locum opportunities only to build credibility and experience before settling for a full-time career. They can decide to take up the assignment in short stints or on a long-term basis.
Generally, locum tenens opportunities happen when existing dental practitioners go on vacation, are on sick leave, or when there is peak patient demand for a particular season.
From the perspective of a dental practice, considering a locum dentist might be preferred to a part-time associate for varied reasons. The practice has the benefit of flexibility and can decide on staggered or set schedules based on demand and other requirements. It may not be viable to hire a part-time associate who already owns a practice.
Locum tenens dentistry job positions offer additional benefits. The dental practice does not have to provide benefits such as competitive compensation, retirement plans, health insurance, etc.
While a locum tenens dental solution can help to tide over unanticipated staffing problems, it may not always be feasible or practical. Some downsides to take note of:
As a locum tenens dental solution is temporary, the practice must understand that there is a chance of a patient experiencing inconsistent care. When a patient encounters the same dental professional across every visit, rapport and understanding are built, and hence the patient enjoys a better experience with the dentist.
Recruiting a permanent dentist takes time and consists of a lengthy onboarding process. The dentist needs to be familiarised with the system and needs to get credentialed before commencing service to a patient. A locum tenens solution can begin immediately, and the new dentist will get familiar with the practice immediately after a few days of training.
Missing out on the steps performed by the practice for a permanent dentist can affect the quality of care offered to patients.
The practice must consider a few points when deciding on locum tenens dentistry.
There are multiple situations in which a dentist might be temporarily required. The demands of different dental practices are varied. For a practice to decide on the requirement of a locum dentist will be based on the volume of patients, the number of in-network insurance firms, and the number of dental practitioners available at the practice.
The need crops up when the existing dentists are on a vacation break, are away due to illness, or have availed of disability leave for a long period. The practice needs to note that a locum dentist is a temporary arrangement, and the term cannot exceed more than a year.
Some specific instances where a dental practice might deploy a locum dentist to handle patients and enhance productivity for the dental practice are:
The dental practice can use its network to identify a potential locum dentist. It can also rely on the services of a professional agency to provide options for a dentist. Multiple placement headhunting agencies specialise in recruiting, checking, and selecting the ideal locum tenens dentist based on the needs of the practice. The practice can also reach out to the locum tenens dentist once again if needed.
When depending on an external hiring agency, the dental practice must insist on background checks. It needs to confirm state licensures based on the state of operations and provide all the documentation required for credentialing or temporary credentialing.
Some dental professionals can also operate and represent themselves as locum dentists. If a practice chooses to approach such a locum tenens dentist directly without using an agency, then the locum tenens dentist might have to be paid on a daily or hourly rate. The practice might have to pay these professionals on an hourly or daily rate. The practice will also have to issue Form 1099 to them at the appropriate time.
If the practice needs to file a claim for treatment rendered by a locum dentist, then the practice must ensure that the locum dentist is credentialed with the in-network insurance plans. The practice can then inform the patients about any balance out-of-pocket expenses to be borne by them.
The practice can request the in-network insurance firm to add a locum tenens dentist. Any application can be filled out and submitted. This can help the practice to avoid the complete credentialing process that would take a long time. Such a process can apply to medical emergencies or sudden vacancies. Speeding up credentialing due to a vacation will not be accepted by the insurance company.
The practice needs to note that a locum tenens dentist within an in-network insurance firm for one practice does not automatically qualify as in-network for another practice. A locum tenens dentist qualified at one location of a practice does not automatically qualify for another location of the same practice.
Since the practice needs to get reimbursed for services offered, the insurance firm must be kept informed of a decision to opt for a locum tenens dentist. The practice needs to check the requirements for claims processed as in-network when using a locum tenens dentist.
The dental team needs to save details of the insurance firm’s representative, time, date, and the reference number of the conversation in case the team needs to prove any due diligence had been done. If not clarified in advance, treatment might not get covered, and this can upset a patient. Hence, informing the insurance firm can help to save an unexpected out-of-pocket expense that might have to be borne by the patient.
For a practice, locum tenens opportunities can be considered when existing dental practitioners take a long break, fall sick for an extended period, or when there is a high demand for a particular season.
Capline Dental is a leading provider of end-to-end services to dental practices of all sizes in the USA and can be reached at info@caplinedentalservices.com
