House panel backs bill to clarify locum tenens contractor status

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House bill on locum tenens status

Highlights

House Committee on Education and the Workforce supports H.R. 8347 to define locum tenens providers as independent contractors under key federal labor laws.
Subcommittee Chairman Ryan Mackenzie notes 88% of health care organizations use locum tenens to address staffing challenges, with recruitment averaging 189 days for primary care and 226 days for specialists.
The RURAL Healthcare Act aims to reduce legal uncertainty from varying state definitions, improving workforce stability and rural patient access.

Hearing centers on workforce rules

As stated by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chairman Ryan Mackenzie says locum tenens providers help address care shortages when rural patients face long travel distances, limited specialist availability, and temporary provider absences.

Mackenzie says these clinicians typically work as independent contractors rather than employees, usually serving in roles for no more than a year while controlling their own schedules and practice. He says the model is especially important when hospitals cannot quickly fill permanent roles, noting that recruiting takes an average of 189 days for a primary care position and 226 days for a specialist.

He also says the use of locum tenens extends beyond rural areas, with 88% of health care organizations using them to meet patient needs. In his remarks, he argues that differing state approaches to independent contractor definitions create uncertainty for both clinicians and the facilities that depend on them.

RURAL Healthcare Act targets access concerns

Mackenzie says Congressman Burgess Owens introduced H.R. 8347, the RURAL Healthcare Act, to clarify that qualified locum tenens providers are independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the National Labor Relations Act.

He presents the measure as a step toward improving legal clarity for the health care workforce and strengthening patient access, particularly in rural communities. Mackenzie says clearer federal rules would support patients, health facilities, and the communities they serve by helping preserve access to the right care at the right time.

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