Survival Tips for Scheduling Physician Coverage for the Holidays

Start Early

Don't wait until the holidays are upon you to begin planning your holiday coverage schedule. The time to start thinking about holiday coverage is in late Summer and early Autumn, ideally. By planning ahead, you can avoid many obstacles and often save money by scheduling well in advance of the holidays.

More Tips:

• Assess your holiday coverage needs early. Start by confirming the holiday schedules of your staff physicians, for Thanksgiving through the new year, so that you know who will be out when, and you can plan accordingly to fill in gaps.
• When booking moonlighters or travel physicians to fill in during the holidays, be sure to consider their family needs over the holidays. You may want to invite and allow physicians to bring their families with them to your community during the holiday season. Be sure to gather and provide moonlighting physicians with detailed information about holiday activities and festivities in the area, if applicable, to help physicians feel welcome and excited about visiting your area around the holidays.
• Book travel accommodations early too, if possible. You can save a lot of money by booking airfare and hotels sooner and ensure that your travel doctors and moonlighters have a comfortable place to stay while they're providing coverage.
• Devising a contingency plan is paramount during the holidays, when anything can happen. Travel can be more challenging due to dicey weather. Think ahead and try to anticipate and troubleshoot any potential problems.
• Use a variety of coverage methods and resources, if possible. For example, can you fill in any coverage needs with virtual or phone coverage? Engaging multiple resources and firms for assistance and support could prevent many costly issues during this crucial time of year.