American Medical News (05/28/12) Victoria Stagg Elliott

Demand for locum tenens physicians has declined due to a drop in physician office visits, the economic slowdown, and an increase in physician employment by hospitals. The 2011 Survey of Temporary Physician Staffing Trends by Staff Care, a subsidiary of AMN Healthcare, shows a decrease in health care facilities using locum tenens physicians from 79% in 2005 to 75% in 2011. Meanwhile, facilities seeking locum tenens physicians to supplement staff fell from 53% in 2005 to 41% in 2011, and those indicating that it was harder to find locum tenens physicians dropped to 13% from 20% over the same period. The survey also reveals a jump in facilities citing cost as an obstacle to the use of locum tenens physicians to 86% in 2011 from 81% in 2005.