Locums Digest #143 | 2027 Workforce Trends, Locum Call Coverage Rules, Testing New Service Lines With Locum Tenens & More

By Jonathon Ayers

2026-11-12

Editor’s Note

Healthcare organizations are thinking further ahead about how they staff. Rather than reacting once a position sits empty, many are building plans around expected demand. This shift is changing how facilities and locum tenens agencies work together to determine the coverage required, rewarding those who come prepared.

Several factors are influencing staffing decisions. Seasonal swings, changes in services, and concerns about clinician well-being all affect how much coverage a facility needs and when. Because these needs vary, no single approach fits every client. Good information and early conversations help agencies respond with the right mix of support.

Clear expectations make flexible staffing work better for everyone involved. This edition of Locums Digest also looks at research comparing locum and permanent physicians and what helps new service lines get off the ground. Small adjustments in how terms are set and measured can pay off quickly. These stories show where agencies can add value and how advance planning can help healthcare organizations meet their staffing needs.

– Locumpedia Editorial

Lead Story

Five Workforce Trends Healthcare Leaders Should Watch in 2027

November 3, 2026 | Jackson and Coker

Workforce planning is shifting from a focus on staffing to clinical capacity. Recruiting fills vacancies, while capacity determines whether an organization can meet patient demand, support growth, and maintain access to care. In 2027, five trends are expected to shape this shift. They are talent pipelines, variable staffing, redesigned care teams, retention, and AI-enabled workforce tools.

Specialty shortages may persist as the physician workforce ages, and behavioral health, oncology, neurology, radiology, and NP and PA roles are among the areas to watch. Locum tenens use is rising as fixed staffing models give way to adaptable ones. It served as a stopgap in about 16% of physician searches in 2024, up from just over 9% the year before. Float pools, per diem staffing, and internal shift marketplaces extend the same approach.

Care teams are being rebuilt around NPs, PAs, care coordinators, social workers, and community health workers. Retention is positioned as a more efficient way to protect capacity than recruiting, supported by burnout prevention, career pathways, and mentorship. AI-enabled tools such as predictive staffing and scheduling could return clinical time to clinicians, though they won’t solve specialty shortages on their own. Together, these trends all point to how much care an organization can deliver. Agencies can help facilities plan for coverage as a regular part of their staffing strategies.

How to Manage Call Coverage With Locum Tenens Providers

November 3, 2026 | ConnectHealth

Call coverage with locum tenens clinicians runs into trouble when the rules are unclear. Asking a locum to cover call without guidance isn’t enough. Facilities benefit from defining the call type before the first shift, whether consult-only, new admissions, hospital backup, or procedure-related emergencies.

Active call hours should be separated from standby hours, and response expectations written down for routine and urgent calls. A named backup chain, standard note template, and written escalation path support clinicians and keep documentation consistent. These terms, along with pay for callback hours and travel time, should be settled before a placement begins.

Managing Workload Fluctuations in Remote Clinics with Locum Tenens

October 28, 2026 | Wilderness Medical Staffing

Patient volume swings throughout the year in rural and remote clinics. Flu season can overwhelm a clinic with a single clinician on duty, but a second one would sit idle once the rush passes. Staffing permanently for busier weeks isn’t sustainable on most rural budgets, while running lean through peaks puts patients and clinicians at risk.

Both demand and capacity typically follow predictable drivers such as respiratory season, seasonal population shifts, paid leave, and CME. Two to three years of visit data can reveal the annual pattern, and booking three to six months ahead leaves room for licensing, credentialing, housing, and onboarding. Agencies serving remote clinics can offer recurring rotations for predictable spikes and a locum to cover a leave.

How Locum Tenens Physicians Compare to Staff Physicians in Quality of Care

October 23, 2026 | Weatherby Healthcare

Studies comparing locums with permanent physicians point to similar results on core outcomes. A large Medicare study of hospitalizations from 2009 to 2014 found no significant difference in 30-day mortality, at nearly 9% for each. A second study at ProMedica Toledo Hospital found that patients seen only by locums had shorter hospital stays and lower costs, with no increase in readmissions or mortality.

A third study by US Acute Care Solutions researchers compared productivity, quality, and utilization among locum and staff emergency physicians. Over their first 100 shifts at a site, locums saw 1.7 patients per hour compared with 1.8 for staff. The gap was small and attributed to the time it takes a locum to learn a new site. Quality and utilization showed no statistically significant differences. These findings can help healthcare organizations weigh locum coverage alongside permanent staffing.

Staffing Industry Analysts unveiled its inaugural Healthcare Staffing 100, recognizing executives across the industry, including numerous locum tenens leaders.
LocumTenens.com launched a dentistry service line covering general dentistry and five specialties.

Hire Power

The Holiday Staffing Crunch: How Healthcare Facilities Can Prepare Before It’s Too Late

November 2, 2026 | Alumni Healthcare Staffing

The holidays put real strain on healthcare staffing. Overlapping PTO requests complicate scheduling, winter illnesses add pressure, and unplanned absences pile on. Facilities with existing vacancies have even less flexibility, so they should review time-off requests and identify historically hard-to-fill shifts to prepare.

Locum tenens support can range from a few holiday shifts to extended leave or an open position. It eases workloads for permanent clinicians, preserves continuity during planned absences, and reduces reliance on repeated overtime. Holiday coverage conversations should begin early, since waiting until staffing needs become urgent limits a facility’s options.

Using Locum Physicians to Test a New Service Line

October 28, 2026 | Alliance Recruiting Resources

A new service line can help facilities expand clinical capacity, but it also brings uncertainty about patient volume and referrals. Locum physicians give healthcare organizations a way to test the service before committing to permanent hires. They can also help track appointments, schedule use, and wait times.

Their presence may also surface gaps across nursing, scheduling, billing, and credentialing. Before physicians start, facilities should decide what questions they want to answer. Schedules, locations, and volume can then be adjusted as usage patterns emerge. Temporary coverage gives facilities time to evaluate a new service before they invest in permanent staff.

The 2026 Layoff Wave Hits Physicians: 6 Things to Know

October 29, 2026 | Becker’s Physician Leadership

Physicians still make up a small share of 2026 hospital layoffs, although they’re beginning to be affected. Of 31 workforce reductions announced from July through mid-October, 12 involved only leadership, administrative, IT, or support roles; eight named clinical roles alongside nonclinical cuts; and 11 didn’t specify roles. Baptist Health, Lane Regional Medical Center, and Montrose Regional Health eliminated physician positions as they ended or consolidated specialty services.

Baptist Health said in April that it would phase out four inpatient specialty services at its Fort Smith campus, affecting about 150 employees, including 10 physicians. Rural hospitals made up about 15% of the 68 reductions tracked in 2026, up from under 10% in the same period a year earlier. These reductions demonstrate how program changes at client sites can affect physician staffing needs.

Moral Injury Is a Distinct Threat to Physician Well-Being

November 9, 2026 | AMA

A new American Medical Association House of Delegates policy classifies moral injury as a distinct and significant threat to physicians, residents, and medical students. It develops when systemic constraints force clinicians to witness or act in ways that go against their moral beliefs and professional obligations. It differs from burnout, which centers on emotional exhaustion.

The policy states that well-being requires system reform and not only individual coping strategies. Repeated conflicts can contribute to doctors reducing their hours, leaving positions or training programs, or exiting practice. Recommendations are still being developed, but locum staffing firms can expect retention and workload to stay on clients’ minds.