More than four decades ago, a new concept came up in the health care industry. This concept links back to physicians who recognized the need for doctors working in rural areas to take time away from their jobs. Prior to the launch of this new idea, rural physicians who worked in their own practices couldn’t get away, leading to burnout and other issues. This concept, called locum tenens, transformed the industry and offered new opportunities to physicians who want to travel.
The Creation of Health Systems Research Institute
The history of locum tenens, a Latin phrase meaning “to hold the place of,” traces back to the mid-1970s when Intermountain Healthcare and the University of Utah’s College of Medicine worked together to create Health Systems Research Institute (HRSI). The two Utah-based organizations received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which aimed to reduce burnout among physicians practicing in rural areas. Many burned-out physicians were abandoning their practices at this time, leaving residents of these areas without access to medical care.
The burnout among rural physicians often resulted from a lack of resources to take time away from their practices. They didn’t have medical professionals to cover for them, which meant they couldn’t take days off for illness, vacation, or even to complete continuing medical education (CME) courses in person. In response, the creation of HRSI led to the launch of a program called Rural Outreach Physician Education (ROPE), which brought rural doctors to the University of Utah for classes focused on running their practices more efficiently.
Physicians in the Program
Many physicians took advantage of the courses offered through the ROPE program to improve their practices, but they still needed coverage. Alan Kronhaus, a physician practicing in a small mining town in Nevada, established and operated a health care system in Yellowstone National Park. His success led to him becoming the medical director of the HSRI. He partnered with another physician, Therus Kolff, to create a service known as locum tenens, which involved creating a network of doctors who wanted to work part-time and serve rural communities.
Although the program started in the West, the two physicians soon recognized the nationwide need for support in the medical field. They expanded the program, which allowed physicians to serve as replacements for those who wanted to take time off for vacation or attend CME courses.
The Launch of New Organizations
Kolff later created his own locum tenens organization, which originally focused on primary care but later expanded to include various medical specialties. Kolff’s organization was first known as Comprehensive Health Systems, which became a national health care placement company. Kronhaus also started his own organization and received many responses to an ad he placed in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Since the launch of the locum tenens physician program, thousands of physicians have taken advantage of the unique opportunities afforded to them. A physician who feels burned out can receive support and backup from a doctor who can take over their practice for a period.
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