Locums One vs Barton Associates: Honest Comparison for 2026

Direct answer: Barton Associates is one of the largest locum tenens agencies in the US, founded in 2001, with a national network and broad specialty coverage. Locums One is a smaller, transparency-focused agency operating at 15–22% margins (vs industry standard 30–50%) with 21-day credentialing (vs industry 60–90). Barton wins on network breadth and brand recognition. Locums One wins on physician take-home pay, credentialing speed, and pricing transparency.

This is a direct comparison between Barton Associates and Locums One. Both place locum tenens physicians, NPs, PAs, and dentists at hospitals across the United States. They operate on different business models — and the difference materially affects your take-home pay.

We're writing this from inside Locums One. Where we have an obvious bias, we'll flag it. Where Barton genuinely wins, we'll say so.

Quick comparison

What is Locums One?

Locums One is a locum tenens staffing platform built around two ideas: transparent pricing and faster credentialing. Founded in 2024, we operate at 15–22% margins (vs the industry-standard 30–50%) and credential physicians in 21 days on average (vs industry 60–90). We focus on cardiac surgery, anesthesia, CRNA, EM, hospitalist, and radiology coverage — the specialties where the supply-demand imbalance is sharpest.

Our model is intentionally different. We're a smaller team running on lower overhead, which lets us operate at lower margin while still investing meaningfully in credentialing speed. The trade-off: we don't have Barton's 25-year facility footprint or breadth of low-volume specialties.

Where Locums One wins

• Physician take-home pay: at the same hospital bill rate, our 15–22% margin pays the physician more than agencies operating at 30–50%
• Credentialing speed: 21 days vs 60–90 days = 6–10 weeks of additional working time per year
• Pricing transparency: our margin is published. Most agencies refuse to disclose theirs.
• Anesthesia and CRNA depth: disproportionately strong in these specialties because we focus there
• Direct physician communication: smaller team means physicians actually talk to the credentialing person handling their file, not just a recruiter intermediary

What is Barton Associates?

Barton Associates is a Massachusetts-based locum tenens staffing agency founded in 2001. The company is named after Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. Barton operates as a privately-held national locum agency with offices in multiple US cities and approximately 850+ employees. They place physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and CRNAs across all 50 states.

Barton is well-regarded in the industry for breadth of network and longevity. They've placed thousands of physicians over their 25-year history and have established relationships with hospital systems across the US. Their content marketing (the Barton blog and salary guides) is among the most-read in the locum staffing industry — the "DO vs MD" article and NPI lookup guides reach hundreds of thousands of physicians annually.

Where Barton genuinely wins

• Network size and longevity: 25 years of facility relationships means more available assignments at any given time than newer agencies
• Brand recognition with hospitals: large hospital systems often have pre-existing contracts with Barton, which can speed initial credentialing at those specific facilities
• Specialty breadth: if you're in a niche dental specialty or a less-common APP role, Barton may have more assignment volume than smaller agencies
• Physician compensation surveys: Barton publishes salary guides for many specialties that are widely cited, useful as market reference

These are real advantages. Larger network = more options. We're not pretending otherwise.

How does agency margin actually affect physician pay?

Agency margin is the percentage of the hospital's bill rate that the agency keeps before paying the physician. Higher margin agencies keep more; lower margin agencies pay more to the physician. On a $500/hr hospital bill rate, a 42% margin agency pays the physician $290/hr; a 18% margin agency pays $385/hr.

Same bill rate, different paychecks

*Barton does not publicly disclose its agency margin. The 40% figure is the industry midpoint per NALTO and SIA benchmarks for traditional locum staffing agencies. Actual Barton margin may be higher or lower than this estimate.*

That's a $194K/year difference on identical clinical work. The hospital paid the same. The patient experience is the same. The only variable is who's in the middle and what they take.

Why don't more agencies disclose margin?

Most traditional locum staffing agencies don't publish their margin because:

1. The number is usually higher than physicians realize and creates negotiation pressure
2. Hospitals comparison-shop on bill rate, and disclosure can pressure that side too
3. Internal margin varies by specialty and assignment, making a single public number complicated

Locums One published our margin range publicly because the transparency is itself part of how we differentiate. If you're working with an agency that won't tell you their margin when you ask directly, that answer is itself the answer.

How does credentialing speed compare?

Industry average credentialing time for locum tenens is 60–90 days, per NALTO benchmarks. Barton's published timeline for new credentialing is approximately 60–75 days for typical assignments, faster for facilities where they already have active relationships. Locums One credentials physicians in 21 days on average for new assignments, with current state license + clean malpractice + organized documents.

What a 21-day credentialing vs 75-day credentialing actually means

If you're a hospitalist earning $230/hr, the 54-day credentialing speed difference per assignment is:

54 days × 4 shifts/week × 12 hrs × $230/hr = $30,000+ in additional earnings per assignment cycle

For a hospitalist working 4–6 assignments per year, that's $120K–$180K/year in additional income just from starting sooner. Credentialing speed isn't a marketing claim — it's a math claim.

That said: credentialing speed depends as much on the physician's preparation as on the agency. Both Barton and Locums One can credential faster than industry average when documents are organized and licensure is current. The 21-day vs 75-day comparison is for the agency-controlled portions of the process.

Direct comparison: where it matters

Physician take-home pay

This is the comparison most physicians care about first. Here's how the math works on a real assignment:

Hospital bill rate: $500/hr for an anesthesiology locum

*Note: Barton does not publish its margin. The 35–45% estimate is based on NALTO/SIA industry benchmarks for large national agencies. Actual Barton margins may vary by assignment and are not independently verifiable.*

The $85–$135/hr difference is not hypothetical. It's the direct result of margin structure. On a $500/hr bill rate, a 40% margin leaves $300/hr for the physician. An 18% margin leaves $410/hr. Same hospital. Same clinical work. The only variable is how much the agency keeps.

Assignment volume and variety

Barton has the clear advantage here. 25 years of relationships, 850+ employees, and 25+ specialties means more total assignments in more locations at any given moment. If you want maximum geographic flexibility or work in a niche specialty, Barton's network is almost certainly larger.

Locums One has fewer total assignments because we're smaller and newer. Our concentration is in cardiac surgery, anesthesia, EM, hospitalist, radiology, and OB-GYN — the specialties where supply-demand imbalance is most acute and where our focused infrastructure produces better outcomes.

Which agency has more assignment availability?

Barton Associates has more total assignments available at any given time due to their 25-year facility network. If you want maximum optionality on which specific city or facility, larger agencies have a structural advantage.

Locums One has fewer total assignments but disproportionately strong availability in cardiac surgery, anesthesiology, CRNA, EM, and hospitalist roles in Mountain West, Plains, and Pacific Interior states. If your priority is highest-paying assignments in your specialty, our concentration may match better than Barton's broader spread.

A physician evaluating both would likely find:

• Barton: more variety of cities, more low-volume specialty options, more "easier" suburban community placements
• Locums One: higher concentration of high-paying rural/critical access opportunities in cardiac, anesthesia, hospitalist, EM specifically

Malpractice and insurance

Both agencies provide $1M/$3M occurrence-based malpractice coverage. This is standard among reputable locum agencies and not a meaningful differentiator.

The difference is transparency: Locums One bills malpractice as a separate line item at actual cost (10% of physician pay, billed to the hospital, never deducted from the physician's rate). Most large agencies bundle malpractice into their margin, making the actual insurance cost invisible.

Travel and housing

Both agencies cover travel and housing for assignments requiring it. This is table stakes in the locum industry — any agency that doesn't cover these costs is not competitive.

Content and physician resources

Barton wins decisively here. Their blog, salary guides, and physician resources are among the most-read in the industry. The Barton salary survey data is widely cited by physicians evaluating locum work. Locums One has a growing content library (this article is part of it) but does not yet match Barton's scale or reach.

What about Barton vs Locums One physician reviews?

We can't speak to Barton's physician reviews directly — for fair comparison, search "Barton Associates reviews" on Glassdoor, Indeed, or Google.

For Locums One's reviews and case patterns, see Is Locums One Legit? Real Reviews and What Physicians Are Saying. We've documented anonymized case patterns including specific paycheck before/after data from physicians transitioning from W-2 hospital roles to locum work through our platform.

Which agency should you choose?

The honest answer depends on what you're optimizing for.

Choose Barton Associates if you prioritize:

• Maximum variety of assignment cities and specialties
• Low-volume specialty needs (e.g., niche dental specialties, pediatric subspecialties beyond what we focus on)
• Working with a long-tenured agency with established hospital relationships
• Existing relationship with their team (if you've worked with them before)

Choose Locums One if you prioritize:

• Higher take-home pay per assignment (15–22% margin vs industry 30–50%)
• Faster credentialing (21 days vs industry 60–90)
• Direct communication with the credentialing person handling your file
• Anesthesia, CRNA, EM, hospitalist, cardiac, or radiology focus
• Pricing transparency (published margin you can verify)

Most physicians benefit from working with both

Many locum physicians strategically work with multiple agencies for different assignments. Use Barton's network breadth for variety, use Locums One's lower margins on high-bill-rate assignments. The agencies aren't mutually exclusive — credentialing portability means once you're privileged at a facility, the next contract there can come through any agency.

Common questions about Locums One vs Barton

How does Barton Associates make money?

Barton makes money the same way every locum staffing agency does: a margin on the hospital bill rate. The hospital pays Barton a per-hour rate; Barton pays the physician a portion; the difference is Barton's margin (covering malpractice, travel, housing, overhead, and profit). Barton does not publicly disclose their typical margin percentage.

Does Locums One have a network as large as Barton's?

No. Barton has 25 years of facility relationships and a much larger total network than Locums One (founded 2024). For specialties and locations within Locums One's focus areas (cardiac, anesthesia, CRNA, EM, hospitalist, radiology), our placement volume in Mountain West and Plains states is competitive. For broad-network access across all specialties and locations, Barton has more options.

Is Locums One smaller because they're newer or because they choose to be?

Both. Locums One was founded in 2024 so we're naturally smaller. We're also intentionally focused — we don't try to cover every specialty because the operational structure required to maintain 15–22% margins and 21-day credentialing is incompatible with broad coverage. We chose depth in specific specialties over breadth across all.

Will I make more money at Locums One than Barton?

If the same hospital bill rate applies and Barton's margin is at industry average (40%), yes — meaningfully more. The 22-point margin difference between 18% and 40% is roughly $80K–$200K/year on the same clinical work. If Barton's actual margin on a specific assignment is lower than industry average, the gap narrows.

Does Barton or Locums One have better malpractice coverage?

Both provide $1M/$3M occurrence-based malpractice coverage at no cost to the physician. Occurrence-based is the gold standard — it covers any incident that occurred during the policy period for life, even if reported years after the policy ends. Both agencies meet this standard.

The difference is transparency, not coverage limits. Locums One bills malpractice as a separate line item at actual cost (roughly 10% of physician pay, billed to the hospital, never deducted from the physician's rate). Most large agencies bundle malpractice into their margin, making the actual insurance cost invisible to both the hospital and the physician.

If you're evaluating either agency, confirm three things in writing:

1. Is the policy occurrence-based or claims-made?
2. If claims-made, who pays for tail coverage?
3. What are the per-occurrence and aggregate limits?

Occurrence-based + agency-paid tail is the only acceptable answer. Both Barton and Locums One meet this standard.

How long has Locums One been operating?

Locums One was founded in 2024. Compared to Barton's 25-year history, we're a much newer agency. Our team has decades of combined experience in locum staffing operations, but the company itself is new. For physicians who value working with a long-tenured firm specifically, Barton has an obvious advantage on tenure alone.

That said, newer agencies can sometimes move faster on credentialing and be more responsive because they have fewer layers of bureaucracy. Barton has 850+ employees; Locums One operates with a leaner team. The trade-off is structural: Barton's size gives them network breadth; our size gives us speed and direct access.

Are there other agencies I should compare to Barton?

Yes. The largest national locum staffing agencies include:

• CompHealth — CHG Healthcare subsidiary, strong in primary care and psychiatry
• Weatherby Healthcare — CHG subsidiary, broad specialty coverage, well-regarded for APP placements
• AMN Healthcare — publicly traded, largest US healthcare staffing company by revenue
• LocumTenens.com — Jackson Healthcare subsidiary, strong technology platform
• Staff Care — AMN subsidiary, broad network
• Medicus Healthcare Solutions — focused on government and VA placements
• Aya Locums — newer entrant, tech-forward matching

Each has different specialty focus, geographic strengths, and margin practices. We'd recommend comparing your top 2–3 candidate agencies on margin (ask directly), credentialing speed, and specialty match.

Barton is a reasonable benchmark because they're large, established, and well-regarded — but they're not the only option, and depending on your specialty and priorities, one of the agencies above may fit better.

What's the safest way to evaluate any locum agency?

Three direct questions. The answers tell you most of what you need to know.

1. What's your agency margin on this assignment?

If they won't answer, that's the answer. A reputable agency should be able to tell you the percentage of the hospital bill rate they retain. If they dodge, deflect, or say "it varies," press for a range. Locums One publishes 15–22%. Most traditional agencies operate at 30–50% but won't confirm it.

2. Is malpractice occurrence-based or claims-made? Who pays for tail coverage?

Occurrence-based is preferred because it covers incidents during the policy period regardless of when claims are filed — no tail coverage needed. Claims-made requires tail coverage (150–300% of the last annual premium) or the physician is uninsured for past work.

The only acceptable answers: occurrence-based, or claims-made with agency-paid tail. If the agency says "we'll discuss that later" or expects you to pay tail, that's a red flag.

3. What's your average credentialing timeline for someone in my specialty with current licensure?

Get specifics. "It depends" is not a credentialing timeline. Ask for their average days from signed contract to first shift for a physician with clean documents and current state license. Locums One averages 21 days. The industry average is 60–90 days. If an agency can't give you a number, they don't track it — which means they don't optimize it.

These three questions filter most legitimate agencies from the questionable ones, regardless of which specific agencies you're comparing.

The bottom line

Barton Associates is a legitimate, well-established national locum tenens agency with real strengths in network size, brand recognition, and physician resources. If you're evaluating agencies, Barton is a reasonable choice — especially for specialty breadth and assignment volume.

Locums One is a newer, smaller agency with a different value proposition: transparent margins (15–22%), faster credentialing (21 days), and higher physician take-home on comparable assignments due to lower overhead.

The honest answer to "which is better?" is: it depends on what you value. If you want maximum options and don't mind industry-standard markups, Barton is a solid choice. If you want transparency, speed, and more of the bill rate in your pocket, Locums One is built for that.

Both agencies cover malpractice, travel, and housing. Both place qualified physicians at real hospitals. Both are legitimate businesses. The difference is business model — and that difference shows up in your paycheck.

*Agency margin estimates for Barton Associates are based on NALTO/SIA industry benchmarks for large national locum agencies and are not independently verified. Barton Associates does not publish its margin structure. Locums One operates at a published 15–22% margin. All other data sourced from public company materials, NALTO benchmarks, and internal placement data as of May 2026.*

For a detailed look at how agency margins affect your pay, see our guide on how locum tenens pricing works. For the full 2026 salary picture by specialty, see our Locum Tenens Salary Guide. For contract negotiation advice before signing with any agency, see our contract negotiation guide. For an in-depth look at Locums One's legitimacy and operations, see Is Locums One Legit? For physician-side tax considerations as a 1099 contractor, see our independent contractor guide.