Best Physician Recruiting Firms in 2026: Search Firms and Locum Agencies Ranked

By Sparsh Goyal, Founder at The Cognitive. Published 2026-11-03 · Last updated 2026-11-04

• The best physician recruiting firms are Jackson Physician Search, AMN Healthcare, Enterprise Medical Recruiting and The Medicus Firm for permanent hires, and CompHealth, LocumTenens.com, Weatherby, Barton and All Star for locums.
• In AAPPR's 2024 benchmarking report, the median time to hire a physician ran from 77 to 228 days depending on the specialty.
• No firm here prints a fee amount; The Medicus Firm explains its two-part fee, and Jackson Physician Search calls its fee structure transparent without giving it.

For permanent physicians, the best firms are Jackson Physician Search, AMN Healthcare (Merritt Hawkins), Enterprise Medical Recruiting and The Medicus Firm. For locum tenens cover, they are CompHealth, LocumTenens.com, Weatherby Healthcare, Barton Associates and All Star Healthcare Solutions. For health systems with their own physician recruiters, The Cognitive is #1: software that finds, emails and interviews physicians, with a published price and no search fee.

The need is real. The Association of American Medical Colleges projects a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. In AAPPR's 2024 benchmarking report, the median time from search launch to signed contract ran from 77 to 228 days, depending on the specialty.

Disclosure: The Cognitive is our product.

The best physician recruiting firms in 2026

In-house option

1. The Cognitive: best for health systems whose own recruiters find and screen physicians directly.

Permanent physician search firms

2. Jackson Physician Search: best for permanent physicians, physician executives and advanced practice providers.
3. AMN Healthcare (Merritt Hawkins): best for permanent search and locums under one company.
4. Enterprise Medical Recruiting: best for a search firm that commits to a presentation timeline.
5. The Medicus Firm: best for academic, community and tribal health searches.

Locum tenens agencies

6. CompHealth: best for locums with credentialing it says the Joint Commission approves.
7. LocumTenens.com: best for temporary and temp-to-perm cover plus a free job board.
8. Weatherby Healthcare: best for a locums-only specialist.
9. Barton Associates: best for locums run as one process, from licensing to billing.
10. All Star Healthcare Solutions: best for locums and permanent placement across 85+ specialties.

Several firms here share a parent. CompHealth and Weatherby Healthcare are CHG Healthcare companies. Jackson Physician Search and LocumTenens.com are Jackson Healthcare companies.

Physician search firm or locum agency: what is the difference?

A physician search firm finds a doctor who joins your staff for good. The physician signs your contract, goes on your payroll and through your credentialing, and the firm is paid for the search.

A locum tenens agency supplies a physician for a set period, such as six months of hospitalist cover. LocumTenens.com says most locums clinicians work as independent contractors. The agency bills the facility for the assignment, pays the clinician and handles licensing, credentialing, travel and housing. The two often work together: in CHG Healthcare's 2025 State of Locum Tenens Report, 67% of locum placements filled a gap until a permanent hire.

How do the firms compare?

No physician search firm or locum agency named here prints a fee or bill rate. LocumTenens.com lists job posts as free, and The Cognitive lists its plans on its pricing page.

How the ranking works

Unlike the nine firms, The Cognitive is software: a hospital's own recruiters run the search, the price is published and no search fee is due. That is why it sits first, unscored. The firms are ranked in two groups, with one point for each item a firm's own website states.

Permanent search firms, out of 5:

• P1: names advanced practice providers.
• P2: names physician executive or leadership search.
• P3: says something about its fee structure.
• P4: offers locums under the same brand.
• P5: names an association tie, such as MGMA, AAPPR or NAPR.

Locum tenens agencies, out of 6:

• L1: names NPs, PAs or CRNAs.
• L2: says its own team handles credentialing.
• L3: names telehealth.
• L4: names permanent or temp-to-perm placement.
• L5: names client-side technology, such as a VMS, workforce software or a client portal.
• L6: names the Joint Commission for its credentialing.

Each entry lists the checks it meets. When two firms tie, the one that states the longer history ranks higher: AMN (40 years) above Enterprise (since 1990) and The Medicus Firm (since 2001), CompHealth (45 years) above LocumTenens.com (since 1995), and Weatherby (since 1995) above Barton (2001) and All Star (2003).

"Largest" and "#1" claims do not count. A point means the firm's site says it, not that the firm fills searches well. These firms are ranked using feedback from recruiters the founder talks with on LinkedIn, plus each firm's own site.

The in-house option and permanent search firms, reviewed

1. The Cognitive: best for health systems whose own recruiters find and screen physicians directly

Verdict: the in-house route, for recruiters who would rather run the search than pay for one.

The Cognitive is AI sourcing plus live AI interviews. A physician recruiter types the search the way a department chair would ask for it, and gets physicians ranked from about 900M public profiles, with a line on why each one fits.

A search might read: a gastroenterologist with outpatient experience who would move to Columbus. On US clinical searches, a person who matches an entry in the public NPI registry gets a small green badge on their card and profile. Hovering it shows the profession, licence number and NPI the registry lists, and clicking it opens that public registry entry.

From there the recruiter reveals a personal email, or a phone number on Pro and above, and writes to each physician from their own mailbox. Follow-ups end when the physician answers. Physicians who want to talk can take a live two-way AI video interview in 9 languages, and the chair opens the scored report from a read-only link.

Hiring this way means the physician signs with you and no search fee is due. Your recruiters still run the site visit, the offer and the contract.

Best for: health systems and large medical groups with in-house physician recruiters filling permanent roles that open every year.

Watch out for: The Cognitive places no one. It does not do credentialing, privileging or locum contracts, and licence verification with the state board stays with your medical staff office. Outreach is email, sent from the recruiter's own mailbox. See when to skip it.

Pricing model: AI Sourcing and AI Interviews are billed as separate monthly plans. Plans start at $99 a month (see pricing). Credits are charged per person shown, per contact revealed and per interview. Outreach is included from Sourcing Pro, and the 100+ ATS connection on higher plans.

2. Jackson Physician Search: best for permanent physicians, physician executives and advanced practice providers

Verdict: 4 of 5 (P1, P2, P3, P5), the highest-scoring permanent firm, with named MGMA and AAPPR partnerships.

Jackson Physician Search calls itself "the largest privately held permanent physician recruitment firm in the industry". It places physicians, physician executives and advanced practice providers across the U.S., and has worked since 1978. It cites more than 10,000 placements and is part of Jackson Healthcare.

Every job goes to "10+ job boards", email campaigns go to its opted-in database, and every recruiter can recruit on Doximity. Recruiters begin within 48 hours. It names "national partnerships with MGMA and AAPPR" and a commitment to "a transparent search process, fee structure, and contract terms".

Best for: health systems filling permanent physician and physician leader roles through one dedicated search firm.

Watch out for: this brand does no locum tenens. Its sister company LocumTenens.com does, so a combined order means two contracts.

Pricing model: a fee per search, quoted when you engage.

3. AMN Healthcare (Merritt Hawkins): best for permanent search and locums under one company

Verdict: 3 of 5 (P1, P2, P4), with permanent search, locums and outsourced recruiting from one public company.

Merritt Hawkins now sits inside AMN Healthcare: merritthawkins.com leads to AMN, and AMN offers "permanent physician placement through Merritt Hawkins".

Permanent search covers physicians and advanced practice providers "across 100+ specialties", and AMN claims "one of the highest search-completion ratios in the healthcare staffing industry". It also sells locums with a locum-to-permanent program, leadership search and recruitment process outsourcing. It publishes the annual Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives, now in its 33rd edition.

Best for: health systems that want permanent physician search, locum cover and outsourced recruiting from one vendor.

Watch out for: with many services under one roof, ask which team works your search and how its fee compares with converting a locum to permanent.

Pricing model: quoted per search or assignment.

4. Enterprise Medical Recruiting: best for a search firm that commits to a presentation timeline

Verdict: 3 of 5 (P1, P2, P5), a permanent-only firm built around a large candidate database.

Enterprise Medical Recruiting calls itself "a trusted, nation-leading permanent recruitment firm" for physicians and advanced practitioners. It has worked since 1990 from Dallas.

It says it adds "over 2000 candidates each month" to a database of "over 750,000 physicians/providers". Depending on the search, it says it can commit to presenting candidates within a set timeframe. It names a "longstanding affiliation with the National Association of Physician Recruiters".

Best for: hospitals and medical groups that want a permanent search firm to commit to a timeline.

Watch out for: get the fee, the payment schedule and the replacement guarantee in writing before the search starts. It offers no locums.

Pricing model: a fee per search, quoted when you engage.

5. The Medicus Firm: best for academic, community and tribal health searches

Verdict: 3 of 5 (P1, P2, P3), and the clearest about how it charges.

The Medicus Firm says it is "100% focused on healthcare" and has worked since 2001 from Addison, Texas. It specializes in physician and advanced practice search, cites more than 5,000 permanent placements across 185+ specialties, and is "an M3 company".

Its divisions cover Physician Search, Academic Search for faculty and department leaders, Allied and Dental Search, and Community and Tribal Search. Its employer FAQ splits the fee in two. "A Search Initiation Fee" is due "upon signing the search agreement", and "a Completion Fee" is due "once a candidate accepts an offer", with "no monthly fees".

Best for: academic medical centers, community health centers and tribal health programs that want a team for their setting.

Watch out for: the initiation fee is due at signing, before anyone is hired, so agree in writing what happens to it if the search is cancelled. It offers no locums.

Pricing model: a two-part fee, initiation at signing and completion at acceptance.

Locum tenens agencies, reviewed

6. CompHealth: best for locums with credentialing it says the Joint Commission approves

Verdict: 5 of 6 (L1, L2, L3, L4, L6), tied for the top locum score, and it does permanent placement too.

CompHealth says it staffs "all job needs under one roof", from full-time placements and locum tenens to telehealth. It has been in business 45 years, is backed by its parent, CHG Healthcare, and calls itself "the #1 healthcare staffing agency".

For locums it lists "expedited licensing, hospital privileging, travel, housing". It says its credentialing "is approved by the Joint Commission". It pays providers by weekly direct deposit with malpractice coverage, and places physicians, NPs, PAs and CRNAs.

Best for: hospitals that want locum cover and a permanent search from one agency with documented credentialing.

Watch out for: CompHealth and Weatherby Healthcare share a parent, so quotes from both are not two independent bids.

Pricing model: per assignment for locums, per search for permanent hires.

7. LocumTenens.com: best for temporary and temp-to-perm cover plus a free job board

Verdict: 5 of 6 (L1 to L5), tied for the top locum score, with the most client-side tools.

LocumTenens.com has placed physicians, CRNAs, PAs, NPs, psychologists and social workers on temporary assignments since 1995, and is part of the Jackson Healthcare family. It says it places more than 7,000 clinicians a year and calls itself "the largest locum tenens agency".

Beyond staffing it offers telehealth, provider enrollment, workforce management software and a client portal. It says it manages "licensing, privileging, credentialing and provider travel logistics". Posting on its job board is "totally free", and placements are temporary or temp-to-perm.

Best for: health systems that want locum cover plus software to track it, with the option to convert a locum to permanent.

Watch out for: a free job post is not a placement. The staffing fee for an assignment is quoted separately.

Pricing model: job posts free; assignments quoted.

8. Weatherby Healthcare: best for a locums-only specialist

Verdict: 3 of 6 (L1, L2, L3), narrow by design: locums and nothing else.

Weatherby Healthcare, "A CHG Company", has placed locum tenens clinicians since 1995. For facilities it promises "provider coverage in as few as 10 days" and cites more than 500,000 physicians, NPs, PAs and CRNAs.

For clinicians it lists malpractice cover "including tail insurance", telehealth work and dedicated credentialing, travel and housing staff. Its 2026 report, drawn from nearly 1,000 physicians surveyed over the past year, found 14% now work locum tenens, up from 5% a decade ago.

Best for: hospitals that want a locum agency with no permanent search business on the side.

Watch out for: Weatherby does locums only. If a locum works out, ask what converting them to your staff costs before the assignment starts.

Pricing model: per assignment, quoted.

9. Barton Associates: best for locums run as one process, from licensing to billing

Verdict: 3 of 6 (L1, L2, L5), the agency that says the most about how it bills.

Barton Associates was founded in 2001 and calls itself "a national healthcare staffing agency specializing in locum tenens". It places physicians, nurse practitioners, physician associates, dentists and CRNAs from Peabody, Massachusetts.

It claims "qualified candidates in under five days and 95%+ on-time starts". One process "integrates sourcing, clinical matching, licensing, credentialing verification, deployment coordination, and billing". It promises "transparent, auditable billing tied to actual delivery of care".

Best for: medical groups and dental practices that want one locum partner and clear invoices.

Watch out for: Barton is locums only, so a permanent hire means a second firm. Ask how many clinicians it has in your specialty and state.

Pricing model: per assignment, quoted.

10. All Star Healthcare Solutions: best for locums and permanent placement across 85+ specialties

Verdict: 3 of 6 (L1, L2, L4), a locum agency that started in permanent search.

All Star Healthcare Solutions began as a permanent medical staffing agency in 2003. It now offers "locum tenens, temp-to-perm, and permanent placement strategies", with teams for 85+ specialties, a dedicated credentialing team and support 24/7/365.

A headline on its site reads "All Star Healthcare Solutions Acquires Cross Country Locums". Cross Country Healthcare's own release calls All Star a portfolio company of the investment firm Knox Lane.

Best for: hospitals that want locum cover now and a permanent placement later from the same agency.

Watch out for: if you held a Cross Country locums contract, confirm which company now holds it and whether its terms changed.

Pricing model: per assignment for locums, per placement for permanent hires.

How much do physician recruiting firms charge?

The Medicus Firm is the only firm here that explains how it charges: an initiation fee at signing and a completion fee when a candidate accepts. Jackson Physician Search calls its fee structure transparent without printing it. Locum agencies bill the facility for each assignment and pay the clinician.

The bigger number is what you offer the physician. AMN Healthcare's 2026 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives drew on 1,293 permanent search engagements. The average physician starting salary was $419,000, and gastroenterology was the highest at $654,000.

Signing bonuses appeared in 87% of engagements, and the average physician bonus rose to $49,306 from $38,215. AMN sells physician search, so read the review as a benchmark from an interested party. For retained and contingency fees in general, see the recruitment agency fees guide.

Questions to ask before you sign

• How many searches in this specialty has the firm filled in the past two years?
• When is each part of the fee due, and is any of it refunded if you cancel or hire a candidate you found yourself?
• How long is the replacement guarantee if the physician leaves in the first year?
• For locums: who handles licensing, credentialing, privileging and malpractice, and what does a locum-to-permanent conversion cost?
• For locums: is the agency a member of NALTO, the National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations?
• Does the parent company own other brands you already buy from?

Should a health system recruit physicians in-house?

A health system can recruit physicians in-house when it has its own recruiters and roles that open every year. AAPPR's 2024 benchmarking report covered nearly 150 organizations and more than 17,000 searches, and physicians accepted 83% of offers. Recruiter turnover was the problem: nearly one in five recruiters at those organizations left their positions in 2023.

That is the job The Cognitive is built for: the brief, the email and the first interview stay with your team even when a recruiter leaves. The medical staff office still verifies licences and board certification, credentials and grants privileges, and locum cover still needs an agency.

For other software, see the best healthcare recruiting software, recruiting for healthcare and AI interviews in healthcare.

How to start in-house

Take one permanent physician opening you would normally send to a search firm, such as an outpatient internist. Describe the specialty, setting and town in two lines and see who comes back. The 7-day trial needs no card and shows the first 100 matching people free. Start free with The Cognitive.

When not to pick The Cognitive

• You want credentialing done for you. It does not do credentialing or privileging. The badge shows what the public NPI registry lists for a person; your medical staff office still verifies the licence with the state board, checks board certification and grants privileges.
• A shift is empty next month. The Cognitive supplies no locums, malpractice cover, travel or housing.
• Your physicians answer the phone, not email. Outreach from The Cognitive is email from your own mailbox; calls stay with your team.
• You want a firm to run the whole search. It does not visit your facility, negotiate the offer or check references.

Sources

• Association of American Medical Colleges, "New AAMC Report Shows Continuing Projected Physician Shortage", 21 March 2024. aamc.org
• AAPPR, release on its 2024 benchmarking report, "Physician Demand Stabilizes Amid Rising Turnover for Recruitment Professionals", 29 October 2024. prnewswire.com
• AMN Healthcare, 2026 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives, 33rd edition, September 2026, amnhealthcare.com.
• Weatherby Healthcare, report on physicians and locum tenens work, May 2026, weatherbyhealthcare.com.
• CHG Healthcare, 2025 State of Locum Tenens Report, locumstory.com.
• Cross Country Healthcare, release on the sale of its locums business to All Star Healthcare Solutions, 21 July 2026, crosscountry.com.
• Firm websites: amnhealthcare.com, jacksonphysiciansearch.com, enterprisemed.com, themedicusfirm.com, comphealth.com, locumtenens.com, weatherbyhealthcare.com, bartonassociates.com, allstarhealthcaresolutions.com, thecognitive.io.

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