FAQ

The following represent the most common questions:

1.  What is my role as a Relief Doctor?

2.  What are my liabilities as a Relief Doctor?

3.  What can a Relief Doctor reasonably expect? 

1.  The primary role of the Relief Doctor is to follow the current treatment plan of the established patient, and to facilitate the continued availability of the office to initiate new patient relationships.

2.  The liabilites of the Relief Doctor are generally the same as with any Doctor.  However, the Relief Doctor must be more vigilent and prepared to error on the side of caution as there is often less familiarity with the case history of each patient.  Relief Doctors become equally liable, as the prescribing Doctor, for treatments rendered under their supervision.  As such, the Relief Doctor should modify the treatment plans to defer portions of the treament plans that contradict better judgment of the moment (i.e the existing treatment plan is not a substitution for proper medical decision making at a given moment).  The Treating Doctor can decide to continue deferred portions of the treatment plan upon return.  Following an existing treatment plan of another provider does not negate liability or offer a valid defense in the case of a lawsuit.

3.  The Relief Doctor can reasonably expect to be treated with the dignity and respect warranted by licensure.  A Relief Doctor is not a "office sitter" under the direction and control of the permanent office staff.  Only a licensed doctor may examine, diagnose, prescribe, and alter a treatment plan.  Any existing treatment plan is still subject to the discretion of the attending clinician at the time of treatment.  It is not reasonable to expect to use the license of the Relief Doctor to simply continue the treatment plan without question, while contraindications may exist, on a case-by-case basis, when the patient presents for care on a given day (i.e. new trauma, new complaints, new symptoms, etc.).  It is reasonable to expect that the Relief Doctors are free and trusted to make clinical decisions based upon their qualified judgement as the attending Doctor.  It is not reasonable that such clincial decisions, and liability for the clinical decisions, remain the purview of unlicensed and unqualified support staff of the absent Doctor.

A Relief Doctor can reasonably expect fair and "objective" compensation for availability.  "Objective" compensation should be based upon anticipated patient volume (PV), versus simply by the day.  Only PV provides "true objective measure" of anticipated services, regardless of the hours worked.  Hours, alone, do not confer any "true objective measure" of anticipated services and is "not" a WIN/WIN scenario.

Relief Doctors can reasonably expect to have their licensed professional services valued based upon "availability" for coverage.  The value of the Relief Doctor is not depreciated if the office fails to maximize the use of "availability" due to a lack of scheduling or poor patient compliancy.  The fee of the Relief Doctor has a basis upon availability, and, as such, has a minimal base value, regardless of deficient PV.  It is reasonable to expect that exceptional PV will require an increase in compensation, beyond this base, in a linear fashion.