On Demand: Easing the Call Burden: Practical Cardiologist Staffing Strategy to Support Physicians and Protect Outcomes-Presentation Slides

Presentation Slides

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The presentation discusses Centra Health’s efforts to address cardiology physician call burden through strategic staffing partnerships, particularly focusing on reducing burnout and maintaining high-quality patient care. Centra Health, serving 500,000 people in central and southern Virginia, operates a regional healthcare system with five hospitals and various care settings. Its Heart and Vascular Institute, recognized nationally for performance and rapid treatment times, had a cardiology call model involving 12 noninvasive cardiologists and five electrophysiologists (EPs) managing weekend coverage and consultations.<br /><br />In 2025, EPs separated from the general cardiology call duties, increasing weekend call strain on noninvasive cardiologists, leading to dissatisfaction, burnout risk, and threats to patient access and program stability. Existing locum tenens usage was inconsistent, prompting the need for sustainable solutions to ease call burdens while preserving care quality.<br /><br />Centra partnered with Moonlighting Solutions (MLS), introduced via MedAxiom, to establish a Call Relief Program. MLS provides a consistent pool of quality, early-career cardiologists interested in weekend shifts, offering long-term rather than short-term placements. MLS physicians have strong credentials, no malpractice history, and often stay two years per assignment, positively impacting retention, recruitment, and physician work-life balance.<br /><br />The program involved vetting candidates thoroughly, streamlining credentialing (averaging 92 days), onboarding, and support. Early outcomes showed smooth operations, high physician satisfaction, and improved recruitment and retention—recruiting two new cardiologists for the first time in years, reducing burnout, and preventing turnover.<br /><br />Financially, the program was supported with a pro forma estimating $2 million in revenue from added clinic capacity, offset by $550,000 in MLS coverage costs, showing good ROI potential. The model is considered scalable, with evaluations underway for expanding the Call Relief Program to two MLS cardiologists and into other specialties like general surgery and urology.<br /><br />In summary, Centra’s collaboration with MLS has effectively reduced cardiologist call burden, enhanced staff well-being, improved recruitment, and maintained patient care quality, offering a replicable staffing strategy for sustainable cardiovascular services.

Keywords

Centra Health

cardiology call burden

physician burnout

strategic staffing partnerships

Moonlighting Solutions (MLS)

Call Relief Program

locum tenens

cardiologist recruitment and retention

patient care quality

healthcare staffing model