When a physician is sick, on vacation or otherwise unavailable to his or her patients, the physician should arrange for another physician (e.g., a partner or colleague) to be available to his or her patients. Whenever possible, coverage should be provided by an HMSA participating physician. For providers associated with an HMO health center, another health center physician is suggested.
However, there may be times when coverage is desired for more than just a few days. In this case the physician or group may avail themselves of the temporary services of a physician under a locum tenens or temporary hire arrangement.
Locum Tenens
HMSA covers medical services provided by other licensed physicians in the absence of the patient's established physician. The physician providing such services is acting in locum tenens (temporarily taking the place of another). The locum tenens coverage is on a temporary basis for a maximum of 60 days, when the regular physician is absent for reasons such as illness, pregnancy, vacation or medical education.
When providing for locum tenens coverage, it is assumed that the established physician intends to return to his or her practice and that the locum tenens coverage is temporary.
Note: The physician must notify HMSA in writing of his or her extended absence, give the specific period of time for the absence and name the physician providing coverage. Regular physician must sign and date the notification.
Written notification of locum tenens can be sent to:
Hawaii Medical Services Association
Attn: Provider Operations, KLCR-PDA
P.O. Box 860
Honolulu, HI 96808
-or-
Fax: 808-948-8210
Email: provider_data@hmsa.com
Temporary Hire
A temporary hire is a physician who is employed by a provider entity (e.g., a group practice or professional corporation) on a temporary basis (90 days or less) where there is no permanent physician.
Note: Both locum tenens and temporary hire physicians must be licensed to practice medicine by the state of Hawaii.
HMSA Recognition
HMSA recognition of locum tenens and temporary hire providers differs. Please refer to the chart below for clarification of HMSA business practices as they affect each type of physician.
| Process | Locum Tenens | Temporary Hire |
|---|---|---|
| Registration (to issue a provider number) | Individual registration with HMSA by the locum tenens physician is not required. The locum tenens physician will submit claims using the absent physician's HMSA provider number. | The temporary hire must register with HMSA and will be assigned his or her own provider number to use for billing. This number is a temporary number effective for 90 days. |
| Participating Physician Agreement | A participating agreement is not needed by the locum tenens physician. The locum tenens physician will perform services under the absent physician 's Participating Physician Agreement. | If the provider entity employing the temporary hire has a group contract with HMSA, the temporary hire will be covered under that contract. |
| Participating Physician Directories | The locum tenens physician's name will not appear in HMSA's directories. | The temporary hire's name will not appear in future directories. The temporary hire's name will appear in future directories if he or she continues to be employed with the professional entity and is approved by HMSA’s Credentialing Committee. |
Revision History
| Date | Nature of Revision |
|---|---|
| 08/03/2026 | Migrated to new platform |