Franklin Medical Center and Caldwell Memorial Hospital are partnering to recruit a General Neurologist who will establish and grow a much-needed outpatient neurology service for Northeast Louisiana. The physician will divide the workweek between Winnsboro and Columbia, providing local access to patients who currently wait weeks for appointments or travel to Monroe, Alexandria, Shreveport, Jackson, and other distant markets for care.
This is not a high-volume employed position designed around aggressive RVU thresholds. The initial model is intended to provide a strong guaranteed salary while the hospitals establish referral patterns, build diagnostic capabilities, and measure sustainable volumes. Leadership expects the practice to grow quickly, but the physician will have time to develop the program thoughtfully rather than being forced into an unrealistic productivity formula on day one.
Outpatient neurology access is extremely limited across Northeast Louisiana. During the profile call, hospital leadership estimated that approximately one and a half full-time outpatient neurologists serve the broader region. Many neurologists in nearby markets have moved into inpatient-only roles, leaving community patients with few local options.
A commercially insured patient may wait approximately eight weeks for an appointment, frequently in Alexandria or Shreveport. Patients from the service area already travel long distances for other specialties, including up to several hours when local access is unavailable. The incoming neurologist will not be asked to create demand. The need already exists across primary care, rehabilitation, nursing facilities, emergency departments, and hospital discharge follow-up.
The two hospitals serve a broad rural catchment area with virtually no convenient outpatient neurology access. Primary care physicians, hospitalists, rehabilitation clinicians, nursing facilities, and local families all have patients who need a neurologist closer to home.
| Employment | Hospital-employed regional neurology position; final employing entity and shared-cost structure to be confirmed. |
|---|---|
| Weekly Schedule | Four clinical days per week, generally 8:00 AM–5:00 PM with a one-hour lunch. |
| Location Split | Two days per week in Winnsboro and two days per week in Columbia. |
| Day Off | Flexible. Friday, Wednesday, Monday, or another mutually agreeable weekday may be considered. |
| Clinical Mix | Approximately 85%–90% outpatient and 10%–15% inpatient/rehabilitation consultation. |
| Patient Volume | Approximately 16 patients per full clinic day initially; leadership believes more volume could be supported. |
| Satellite Clinics | Optional periodic outreach to nearby rural health clinics. Willingness is appreciated but is not intended to be a deal breaker. |
| Autonomy | Meaningful input into schedule templates, appointment length, procedure development, and future service-line growth. |
The role is structured as a genuine four-day workweek rather than four clinic days plus a hidden administrative day. The expected schedule is approximately 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with an hour for lunch. Leadership is flexible regarding the weekday off. A physician who values long weekends may select Friday or Monday, while someone who prefers never working more than two consecutive days could consider Wednesday.
The physician will normally spend two days at each hospital's primary clinic location. Both organizations also operate rural health clinics. Occasional outreach may improve access, but leadership stated that unwillingness to rotate regularly would not automatically disqualify a candidate.