Behind the Scenes of Locum Tenens Compliance: How Tandym Helps Physicians and APPs Start Assignments Quickly and Confidently

Authored by Courtney Hatton & Jamila Spence

Introduction

Locum tenens staffing plays a critical role in helping healthcare organizations maintain consistent patient care. Hospitals and healthcare systems often rely on temporary physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) to fill urgent coverage gaps, support growing patient volumes, or address staffing shortages.

While the placement itself may happen quickly, the credentialing process may take longer to complete due to the complex compliance process behind every successful assignment. At Tandym, our Locum Tenens Compliance team works closely with providers, clients, and internal partners to ensure physicians are credentialed, verified, and ready to begin work with confidence.

What Makes Locum Tenens Compliance Different

Locum tenens compliance comes with a unique set of challenges. Unlike permanent placements, assignments are often driven by urgent coverage needs. Facilities may require providers to begin within weeks, yet the credentialing process must still meet the same regulatory standards as full-time hires.

Credentialing involves working in close coordination with a client’s medical staff office and credentialing verification office to confirm a provider’s:

• Qualifications
• Licenses
• Training
• Professional history

This process exists to protect patient safety and maintain healthcare quality standards. The difference is urgency. Traditional credentialing timelines may extend several weeks or months, depending on the facility. Locum compliance teams must manage the same level of scrutiny while working within much shorter timelines.

Another layer of complexity comes from multi-state licensure. Many locum providers practice across multiple states throughout the year. Each state has its own requirements, including:

• Licensing regulations
• Controlled substance requirements
• Scope of practice rules
• Telehealth standards

Managing multiple active licenses requires careful tracking and coordination to avoid expiration risks or administrative delays. Facilities may also grant temporary or emergency privileges to accelerate onboarding. While this can help providers start sooner, it increases the importance of thorough verification, including primary source checks, malpractice history reviews, and disciplinary screenings. In practice, locum compliance requires speed, precision, and constant attention to detail.

The Most Time-Sensitive Step: Hospital Privileging

One of the most critical parts of locum onboarding is hospital privileging. Once a provider’s application is submitted, the healthcare facility’s review process typically takes between 30 and 90 days.

During this time, the medical staff office evaluates:

• Credentials
• Training history
• Scope of practice

Because the facility controls this timeline, the most important factor on our side is ensuring the application is complete and accurate before submission. If documentation is missing or incomplete, the facility may:

• Pause the review process
• Return the application for corrections
• Delay the provider’s start date

To prevent that, we work closely with providers from the beginning of the process to ensure they understand exactly what documentation will be required. Sometimes that means helping them track down case logs, certificates of insurance from previous employers, or training records.

In other cases, it involves coordinating additional requirements such as medical exams, fingerprinting, or facility specific training. By making sure every piece of documentation is in place early, we help keep the process moving forward.

Balancing Speed with Accuracy

Healthcare facilities often need providers quickly. At the same time, credentialing must remain thorough and accurate. Balancing these priorities is central to effective locum tenens compliance.

Our approach is built around constant communication and collaboration with both providers and Tandym’s recruiting teams. We work hand in hand with the front office to understand the urgency of each assignment and align our internal deadlines with the client’s timeline. At the same time, we guide providers through the process step by step to ensure applications, documentation, and verifications are completed correctly.

When possible, we explore opportunities to accelerate the process, such as temporary or emergency privileges. If those options are not available, we work directly with the facility’s medical staff office to identify where we can support the process. This may include:

• Assisting with reference verification
• Supporting primary source verification
• Providing documentation needed for review

The goal is always the same. Move as efficiently as possible while maintaining the level of diligence required in healthcare compliance.

What Sets Tandym’s Compliance Team Apart

At Tandym, compliance is about more than collecting paperwork. Our team approaches the process with a white-glove mindset, working directly with providers to guide them through every step. We help providers:

• Understand requirements
• Gather documentation
• Manage the completion of applications
• Navigate facility expectations

By staying closely involved, we aim to make the credentialing process feel manageable rather than overwhelming.

Just as important is the strength of our internal team. Compliance work requires collaboration across recruiting teams, client partners, and credentialing specialists. Our team is always willing to support one another, share knowledge, and step in when someone needs help. Teamwork allows us to maintain consistency and efficiency even when timelines are tight. And being part of that process and helping providers move into new opportunities is what makes the work meaningful.

Conclusion

Locum tenens compliance is a complex but essential part of healthcare staffing. It requires careful coordination, detailed verification, and ongoing communication across multiple stakeholders.

At Tandym, our Compliance team works behind the scenes to ensure providers are fully prepared and ready to begin assignments with confidence. By balancing speed with accuracy and maintaining a hands-on, supportive approach, we help create onboarding experiences that work for both healthcare professionals and the organizations they serve.

If you are exploring locum tenens opportunities, working with a team that understands the compliance process can make a meaningful difference. Tandym’s recruiters and compliance specialists partner with providers to help them navigate onboarding and start assignments with confidence.