What Is a Locum Tenens Platform?
A locum tenens platform is a technology marketplace that directly connects physicians and hospitals for temporary staffing arrangements — replacing the traditional staffing agency intermediary. Unlike agencies, a locum tenens platform gives physicians direct access to open shifts, transparent compensation, and a portable credential record. Hospitals get real-time physician matching, credentialing status visibility, and direct contracting without agency markup.
SANNEXUS is a physician credentialing platform and shift marketplace — not an agency. The distinction matters structurally and economically. Here is the honest breakdown.
The Framing Problem
When most physicians hear about SANNEXUS, they try to fit it into a category they already know: another locum tenens agency.
That framing is wrong. And the difference matters — particularly if you care about your income, your career autonomy, or how fast you can deploy to the next opportunity. To understand how physician credentialing works in the traditional model versus the SANNEXUS approach, our complete guide is the best starting point.
This page breaks down the structural differences between SANNEXUS and traditional locum tenens agencies so you can make an informed decision.
What a Traditional Locum Tenens Agency Does
Traditional locum tenens agencies operate as staffing intermediaries. Their business model:
- Build a roster of physicians willing to work locum assignments
- Maintain hospital relationships and sell those physicians into open shifts
- Handle credentialing, travel, malpractice, and administrative logistics
- Take a margin on every hour billed — typically 30–50% markup on physician compensation
The physician experience with a traditional agency:
- You are represented by one (or a few) agencies
- You accept assignments the agency presents to you
- Your credentials belong to the agency — they are not portable
- Credentialing takes 60–90+ days per new engagement
- Your compensation is opaque — you rarely know what the hospital is actually paying
- You are an employee or W-2 contractor in many arrangements
The major players — AMN Healthcare, CompHealth, Weatherby Healthcare, Staff Care, Envision Physician Services — all operate some version of this model. It works. But it is a 1990s model running in a 2026 market.
What SANNEXUS Is
SANNEXUS is an AI-native physician placement and credentialing platform. It is not a staffing agency.
The structural differences:
Physicians are independent contractors. SANNEXUS does not employ physicians. You own your relationship with every hospital you work with. SANNEXUS facilitates the connection and credentialing — it does not intermediate the employment relationship.
Your credentials belong to you. The SANNEXUS physician credentialing passport is physician-owned. When you build your passport, your verified credential record is yours — portable to any SANNEXUS network hospital, and yours to carry if you ever leave the platform.
You access the marketplace directly. SANNEXUS Connect is a real-time physician placement marketplace. You can browse available opportunities, filter by specialty and location, and accept or decline engagements on your own terms — without a recruiter as an intermediary.
Credentialing takes days, not months. Because your passport is pre-verified, new facility engagements can begin in 5–10 business days versus the 60–90 day standard at traditional agencies.
Compensation is transparent. SANNEXUS charges a 5% transaction retainer per engagement. You see the full engagement rate. There is no hidden agency margin between you and the hospital.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | SANNEXUS | Traditional Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Business model | Technology platform (SaaS + marketplace) | Staffing intermediary |
| Physician classification | Independent contractor | Often W-2 or agency contractor |
| Credential ownership | Physician owns passport | Agency owns credential file |
| Credentialing time | 5–10 business days (network hospitals) | 60–90+ days |
| Assignment access | Self-directed marketplace | Recruiter-mediated |
| Compensation transparency | Full rate visible; 5% retainer | Agency margin (30–50%) not disclosed |
| Multi-hospital access | Open marketplace | Agency's network only |
| Malpractice coverage | Physician-procured; SANNEXUS facilitates | Agency-provided (often tail coverage issues) |
| Geographic scope | Florida beachhead; IMLC-integrated national | Varies by agency national footprint |
| Physician subscription | $199/month (after 10 shifts) | No fee, but margin embedded in rate |
| Hospital cost | $5,000–$10,000/month SaaS | Per-placement fees + premium markup |
The Income Difference: A Real Calculation
The hidden cost of traditional agencies is the markup — the difference between what the hospital pays and what you receive. And beyond markup, there is the credentialing time to first shift gap — the 90–180 days of lost income while credentialing completes through a traditional agency process.
Example: Emergency Medicine physician, 10 shifts/month
Traditional agency model:
- Hospital pays: $300/hour
- Agency margin: 35% ($105/hour)
- Physician receives: $195/hour
- Monthly income (10 shifts × 10 hours): $19,500
SANNEXUS model:
- Hospital pays: $300/hour (same market rate)
- SANNEXUS retainer: 5% ($15/hour)
- Physician receives: $285/hour
- Monthly income (10 shifts × 10 hours): $28,500
- Monthly subscription: -$199
- Net income: $28,301
Difference: $8,801/month. $105,612/year.
This calculation assumes equivalent market rates. Results vary by specialty, geography, and engagement terms. But the structural math is consistent: a 5% technology fee is categorically different from a 30–50% staffing margin.
What SANNEXUS Does Not Do (And Why That Matters)
SANNEXUS does not assign you to shifts.
You access the marketplace and select engagements. This means more control — and more responsibility. If you prefer to have a recruiter manage your calendar and handle everything, a traditional agency may suit your workflow better.
SANNEXUS does not provide malpractice insurance directly.
You procure your own malpractice coverage as an independent contractor. SANNEXUS facilitates connections with preferred malpractice carriers and verifies coverage status as part of your passport — but coverage is your responsibility.
SANNEXUS is not a travel management company.
Traditional agencies often book travel, housing, and logistics for long-distance assignments. SANNEXUS does not. You manage your own logistics as an independent professional.
These are deliberate design choices — not limitations. The SANNEXUS model is built for physicians who want ownership and autonomy, not for those who want full-service staffing support.
What SANNEXUS Does Better Than Any Agency
Speed of deployment. No agency can credential and deploy a physician in 5–10 business days. The SANNEXUS passport + network model is structurally faster than any agency credentialing process. This is the time-to-first-shift metric that defines the real cost of working through a traditional agency.
Credential portability. Your SANNEXUS passport travels with you — across network hospitals, across specialties, across states. No agency offers this.
Compensation transparency. You see exactly what you earn and exactly what SANNEXUS charges. There is no hidden margin.
Career infrastructure. Your SANNEXUS passport is an asset that compounds over time. As you add credentials, experience, and privileges, your passport becomes more valuable — and your access to premium assignments improves. No traditional agency builds career infrastructure for physicians. They build rosters.
Who SANNEXUS Is Built For
The right physician for SANNEXUS:
- Values career autonomy and direct control over their schedule
- Wants to maximize per-shift income
- Practices in Emergency Medicine, Radiology, or Hospital Medicine
- Is based in or interested in the Florida market
- Wants credential portability across facilities and states
- Is comfortable managing their own malpractice, travel, and logistics as an independent professional
The right hospital for SANNEXUS:
- Needs clinical coverage on a timeline that traditional agencies cannot meet
- Wants access to a pre-vetted, credentialed physician marketplace
- Is evaluating its long-term dependence on high-markup staffing agencies
- Operates within HCA West Florida or AdventHealth West Florida networks (beachhead partners)
The Category We Are Creating
The locum tenens industry has operated the same way for 40 years: physicians on one side, hospitals on the other, agencies extracting margin in the middle.
SANNEXUS is not another agency. It is the infrastructure layer that makes agencies unnecessary. For a look at how this compares with the broader hospital credentialing software market and what health systems are evaluating, see our dedicated analysis.
The language shift is intentional. A SANNEXUS physician is not a locum. He is a SANNEXUS physician — credentialed, verified, mobile, and deployed on his own terms.
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SANNEXUS LLC | Intelligent Care Solutions | Florida, Est. 2026
Cleiton Goncalves, MBA — Founder and CEO | Former VP, Envision Physician Services