Healthcare facilities are always looking for ways to improve efficiency, and for many radiology departments today, that means moving from hourly compensation to a relative value unit-based model.
For one Interim Physicians client, the transition created an unforeseen challenge with both their locum tenens and permanent clinicians. What had been a manageable staffing need quickly turned into multiple openings, and leadership found themselves navigating a compensation model they had little experience implementing.
When their senior account executive, Travis Redman, came in to help, he knew that simply filling vacancies wouldn’t be enough. The client needed guidance on how the shift would affect recruitment, retention, and long-term stability.
Why Switching to an RVU Model Caused Turnover
While the change in compensation approach made sense operationally, it created an unexpected consequence. Because the RVU model pays physicians based on productivity and read complexity rather than time worked, lower-volume readers saw their earnings decline.
Travis assessed the situation: “Some providers who had been fitting in fine at the facility suddenly weren’t comfortable working there because they were lower-volume readers.” This caused several physicians to leave, and a modest staffing need quickly expanded into four open positions across both locum tenens and permanent coverage.
While some turnover due to switching compensation models was anticipated, the client was working to align pay expectations and job requirements with current market conditions. As clinicians compared opportunities, leadership found it increasingly difficult to compete for talent.
“Many groups are struggling with these same transitions right now,” Travis said. “Some are still paying hourly while high-volume readers now prefer RVU structures.”
Complicating matters further, the client had worked with multiple Interim account executives over a relatively short period. Establishing consistency and rebuilding confidence in the recruiting process became just as important as filling open positions.
He knew the client’s problems wouldn’t be fixed solely with new providers. They needed guidance on adapting their staffing strategy while maintaining stability across the department.
Aligning Staffing With a New Compensation Model
With vacancies already affecting the department, he moved quickly to understand both the provider gaps and the underlying issues.
“Essentially, I started from scratch,” he said. “I met with leadership, helped them better understand RVU models, and began rebuilding everything correctly from the ground up.”
Working closely with department leadership, he reviewed compensation expectations, clarified job requirements, and helped align open positions with current market realities. Throughout the process, he maintained close communication with leadership.
“I was asking questions they hadn’t even thought to ask yet, which helped keep the process on track.”
As expectations became clearer, attention shifted to recruiting providers who would fit within the new RVU-based structure. Locum tenens physicians played an important role in helping the client maintain coverage while leadership adapted to the new compensation model and continued building its long-term staffing strategy.
Constant communication with the client helped refine the search, but one conversation proved especially valuable. There was confusion about why a provider recommendation did not fully match what the department was looking for.
“Instead of continuing with assumptions, I scheduled a call, pulled up their skills checklist, and went through it line by line. There were nearly 100 items on it. That gave me total clarity on exactly what they needed moving forward.”
The exercise revealed important details that had not surfaced previously. With that clarity in place, recruiting accelerated.
The Result
Within roughly two weeks, two locum tenens doctors entered credentialing, and two more were interviewing. Interim Physicians ultimately filled all four vacancies while helping the client establish a more sustainable approach to RVU-based compensation.
The department stabilized, and leadership gained a clearer understanding of how to compete for radiology talent in a changing market. What began as a staffing challenge became an opportunity to strengthen the department’s long-term recruitment strategy. The process also strengthened the working relationship between the client and Interim Physicians, creating a foundation for future growth and support.
As Travis put it, “The client was very complimentary throughout the process. They kept saying things like, ‘You’re too efficient, we can barely keep up, but we love it.’