By virtue of its community standing, the IDS offers many benefits, including income guarantee, academic appointment and a good benefits package. The direct access the IDS affords to management services and support personnel can be a plus for physicians just out of residency. For physicians seeking autonomy, IDS employment has its drawbacks, namely the hospital policies and politics that can spark controversies. In addition, some newer IDSs are still learning how to manage physicians, and their learning curve can cause occasional issues. In these settings, physicians work in practices or departments that are managed and owned either outright or partly by the hospital.
Physicians serve as employees and are compensated by the hospital.
As might be expected, heavy committee work often comes with the turf, says Dr. Alguire, so physicians should inquire about such requirements up front. Potential downsides are the limited autonomy and the possibility that a decline in the hospital's overall financial condition could affect the practice. And as hospital system mergers continue to occur, physicians sometimes find themselves caught in the crossfire as the merging institutions attempt to meld long-established programs and cultures. Physicians are employed by an agency to work for a short period of time, from a few weeks to several months. Locum tenens physicians have the ability to choose not only the practice setting and where they practice geographically but also how much they practice.