Stop losing money on Physical Therapist (Locum) projects.
Send your first 3 contracts for free. Walking into a clinic without a signed agreement leaves you vulnerable to last minute schedule cancellations and unpaid travel expenses. You are a highly skilled clinician, not a volunteer who covers the cost of your own commute and housing.
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Statement of Work
Ref: 2026-001 • Standard Business Template
Overview
This agreement serves to protect the Physical Therapist’s professional autonomy and financial interests while operating in a locum tenens capacity. It explicitly defines the therapist as an independent contractor, ensuring that all clinical decisions remain the sole responsibility of the licensed professional while requiring the host facility to provide a safe, HIPAA-compliant environment and administrative support. The scope of work is limited to the physical therapy interventions outlined in the state’s Practice Act, shielding the freelancer from being drafted into non-clinical administrative tasks or nursing duties outside their expertise.
Furthermore, the contract includes robust indemnity and payment protection clauses to mitigate the risks associated with temporary placement. It mandates that the hiring entity settle all invoices within a specified timeframe, regardless of whether the facility has successfully collected payment from the patient's insurance provider. By signing this document, the therapist is also indemnified against claims arising from pre-existing facility conditions or administrative negligence, ensuring that their liability is strictly limited to the direct clinical care provided during the contracted hours.
EMR Access and Documentation
Facilities often fail to provide login credentials on day one, leading to a massive documentation backlog that you are expected to clear on your own time without extra pay.
Professional Liability Gaps
Relying on a facility's insurance can leave you exposed if their policy does not cover temporary staff or lacks a 'tail' for future claims once you leave the assignment.
Undisclosed Patient Volume
Clinics might advertise a manageable caseload but then double book your schedule, forcing you to choose between unpaid overtime or subpar, unsafe patient care.
What is a Physical Therapist (Locum) contract?
A Physical Therapist (Locum) contract template is a specialized agreement that defines the clinical duties, compensation, and liability terms for temporary therapy assignments. It ensures the clinician is paid for guaranteed hours, establishes productivity limits, and clarifies who covers travel expenses and professional insurance during the contract period.
Built from real freelance projects
This template is based on real-world scenarios across freelance projects where unclear scope, missing payment terms, and revision creep led to lost revenue. It is designed to protect your time, define expectations, and ensure you get paid.
Why Physical Therapist (Locum)s need a clear contract
Physical Therapy locum work is more than just patient care; it involves complex logistical hurdles like EMR access, state-specific practice acts, and varying productivity standards. Without a contract, you may find yourself forced into 90 percent productivity requirements that compromise patient safety or your professional license. A contract solidifies your role as an independent contractor or temporary employee, clearly defining who pays for professional liability insurance and how travel stipends are taxed. It also prevents 'shadow shifts' where you spend hours finishing documentation without compensation. By documenting the specifics of the assignment, from the patient population to the required software, you protect your income and your clinical reputation. This is critical for preventing facilities from treating you as a flexible resource they can cut at a moment's notice without financial penalty.
Real-world scenario
Imagine traveling three states away for a lucrative six week orthopedics assignment only to have the clinic manager tell you on Wednesday that the census is low and they do not need you for the rest of the week. Without a contract specifying a minimum of 40 hours per week, you lose three days of income while still paying for your short term rental and car. You are essentially paying to work for them. This happened to a colleague in Denver who assumed the verbal agreement was solid. When the census dropped, the clinic cut her hours to ten for the week. Because she had no written guarantee, she had no recourse to recover the 1,500 dollars she lost in expected wages. A simple clause stating that the facility must pay for the scheduled block regardless of patient volume would have saved her entire month's budget and covered her travel costs.
🛡️ What this contract covers:
- ✓Initial patient intake, diagnostic evaluations, and development of individualized treatment plans for the assigned caseload.
- ✓Daily administration of therapeutic interventions and completion of all electronic medical record (EMR) documentation in compliance with facility standards.
- ✓Comprehensive discharge planning and final transition reports to ensure continuity of care upon completion of the locum tenure.
Best practices for Physical Therapist (Locum)s
Verify Reimbursement Terms
Clearly define whether travel, housing, and licensure costs are reimbursed at cost or provided as a flat tax-free per diem according to GSA rates.
Explicit Productivity Standards
State the expected number of patient units or visits per day to avoid being overworked or penalized for maintaining quality care standards.
Credentialing Deadlines
Set a hard deadline for the facility to provide EMR training and logins at least 48 hours before your first scheduled patient evaluation.
Legal Disclaimer: MicroFreelanceHub is a software workflow tool, not a law firm. The templates and information provided on this website are for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for professional malpractice insurance during this assignment?
The contract specifies that the hiring facility must provide primary professional liability coverage, or alternatively, requires the facility to reimburse the locum for a supplemental policy.
What happens if the clinical facility lacks the necessary equipment for treatment?
The therapist is protected under a clause stating that they are not liable for delayed outcomes resulting from inadequate facility resources or equipment failure.