Compare high-paying freelance options for Texas primary care physicians: locums, telemedicine, AI training, consulting. Real pay ranges, requirements, and how to start.

TL;DR

Looking for freelance or contract work as a primary care physician in Texas? Whether you want to supplement your income or transition to independent practice, Texas offers several high-paying options. Here's how the top opportunities compare.

1.

Expert Witness / Medical-Legal Consulting

$300-$600/hr

What You'll Do

Primary Care Physicians review medical records, provide expert opinions on standard of care, and testify in legal cases involving primary care malpractice or personal injury. Work involves writing detailed reports and preparing for depositions or court appearances based on Texas primary care practices. Assignments are project-based, often sourced through legal firms or expert networks.

Requirements

  • Active Texas medical license
  • Board certification in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine
  • 5+ years clinical experience
  • Strong documentation and communication skills

Malpractice Insurance: No

Where to Find Work

  • SEAK 2024 Fee Study, Physician Side Gigs

Texas notes: No significant geographic variation; TX among top states for medical malpractice litigation; TX physician expert witness avg $450/hr; FM $300-$400/hr; IM $400-$500/hr; Trial testimony $500-$750/hr; Deposition $450-$475/hr
Typical start timeline: 1-4 weeks

2.

Healthcare Consulting / Advisory Boards

$150-$500/hr

What You'll Do

Primary Care Physicians advise healthcare organizations, pharma companies, or policy groups on primary care delivery, population health, and quality improvement initiatives. Participation includes attending virtual or in-person board meetings, reviewing protocols, and providing strategic input on Texas healthcare trends. Work is typically part-time with compensated preparation time.

Requirements

  • Active Texas medical license
  • Board certification
  • 5+ years experience in primary care leadership
  • Knowledge of healthcare policy or quality metrics

Malpractice Insurance: No

Where to Find Work

  • GLG, Guidepoint, AlphaSights, Tegus

Texas notes: Houston Texas Medical Center proximity creates additional consulting demand; no state income tax makes net earnings higher; Expert network calls $200-$500/hr; Pharma advisory boards $2K-$5K/meeting; KOL $200-$500/hr; Houston/Dallas medical center consulting opportunities
Typical start timeline: 4-8 weeks

3.

AI Training & Annotation

$125-$300/hr

What You'll Do

Healthcare AI companies hire primary care physician professionals to review, annotate, and validate training data for medical AI systems. Work involves ehr summarization and clinical reasoning validation — tasks like symptom checker validation, diagnostic reasoning evaluation, clinical note qa, documentation assessment.

Requirements

  • Active clinical background in primary care physician
  • No malpractice insurance needed
  • Computer with reliable internet

Malpractice Insurance: No

Where to Find Work

  • Folio (folioworks.com)
  • Centaur Labs
  • Appen
  • Labelbox

Texas notes: Fully remote — available regardless of state. Pay based on specialty expertise, not location.
Typical start timeline: 1-2 weeks

Getting started: Join the expert community and make a free profile on Folio to browse current primary care physician AI training projects.

4.

Telemedicine / Telehealth

$70-$175/hr

What You'll Do

Primary Care Physicians conduct virtual patient consultations, diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, and manage follow-ups via video or phone from home. Focus is on primary care issues for adults and families, often part-time or weekend shifts with lower patient volumes. Assignments may include supervising remote NPs or independent virtual visits in Texas-licensed platforms.

Requirements

  • Active Texas medical license
  • Board certification preferred
  • DEA registration
  • Reliable internet and telehealth platform experience

Malpractice Insurance: Typically provided by employer

Where to Find Work

  • Teladoc, MDLive, Amwell, SteadyMD, ZipRecruiter, medtechfounder.com

Texas notes: No geographic variation (remote); TX license required; large patient population creates high telehealth demand; Primary care $70-$150/hr; Psychiatry $150-$250/hr; Urgent care virtual $80-$120/hr; After-hours premium +15-25%
Typical start timeline: 2-6 weeks

5.

Chart Review / Utilization Review

$85-$175/hr

What You'll Do

Primary Care Physicians evaluate patient charts for medical necessity, coding accuracy, and adherence to guidelines in insurance or quality assurance contexts. Tasks involve remote review of records to approve or deny services, focusing on primary care utilization patterns in Texas. Work is often weekend or part-time shifts with high volume of cases per hour.

Requirements

  • Active unrestricted Texas medical license or compact state
  • Board certification in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine
  • 2+ years clinical experience
  • Attention to detail and UR/CM experience preferred

Malpractice Insurance: Typically provided by employer

Where to Find Work

  • Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Physician Side Gigs, nonclinicalcareers.com

Texas notes: Primarily remote; large managed care and insurance presence in TX; Contract UR $85-$110/hr; Full-time UR roles $100-$150/hr; Complex reviews/peer-to-peer $125-$175/hr
Typical start timeline: 2-6 weeks

6.

Locum Tenens / Per Diem

$120-$170/hr

What You'll Do

Primary Care Physicians fill temporary staffing gaps in clinics, hospitals, or outpatient facilities, providing standard primary care services such as patient evaluations, treatments, and management of acute and chronic conditions. Assignments typically involve 8-12 hour shifts with patient volumes of 18-25 per day, often in underserved or rural Texas areas. Work can be ongoing or short-term, with agencies handling travel and housing.

Requirements

  • Active unrestricted Texas medical license
  • Board certification in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine
  • DEA registration
  • Minimum 1-3 years post-residency experience

Malpractice Insurance: Typically provided by employer

Where to Find Work

  • CompHealth, Locumstory, OnCall Solutions, CHG Healthcare, Barton Associates

Texas notes: Rural TX (West TX, Panhandle, Rio Grande Valley) +20-25% premium; Houston/Dallas/Austin/San Antonio metro at base rates; FM $120-$145/hr; IM $120-$145/hr; Hospitalist $170-$190/hr; Weekend/holiday +20-30%; No state income tax advantage
Typical start timeline: 4-12 weeks

Common Questions People Ask

Q: What are the highest-paying freelance options for primary care physicians in Texas?

A: Based on current market data, the top 3 are: Expert Witness / Medical-Legal Consulting ($300-$600/hr), Healthcare Consulting / Advisory Boards ($150-$500/hr), AI Training & Annotation ($125-$300/hr).

Q: Which freelance options for primary care physicians don't require malpractice insurance?

A: 3 options don't require malpractice insurance: Expert Witness / Medical-Legal Consulting ($300-$600/hr), Healthcare Consulting / Advisory Boards ($150-$500/hr), AI Training & Annotation ($125-$300/hr). This can save $10-$25K annually compared to options requiring coverage.

Q: Can primary care physicians work remotely in Texas?

A: Yes, 4 options are fully or partially remote: Expert Witness / Medical-Legal Consulting ($300-$600/hr), AI Training & Annotation ($125-$300/hr), Telemedicine / Telehealth ($70-$175/hr), Chart Review / Utilization Review ($85-$175/hr).

Q: What Texas license do primary care physicians need for freelance work?

A: An active Texas license from Texas Medical Board is required for most clinical freelance options.

Q: How quickly can primary care physicians start freelance work?

A: Timeline varies by option: Expert Witness / Medical-Legal Consulting typically takes 1-4 weeks, while Healthcare Consulting / Advisory Boards typically takes 4-8 weeks, while AI Training & Annotation typically takes 1-2 weeks.

Q: What's the pay range for primary care physicians doing AI training work?

A: AI training pays $125-$300/hour for primary care physicians, varying by experience level and project complexity. No malpractice insurance required.

Getting Started with AI Training

Folio connects Texas primary care physicians with frontier research labs and healthcare AI companies looking for clinical expertise. The platform vets AI companies for project quality, handles contracting and payment, and matches projects to your area of expertise.

Typical timeline:
- Application: 3 minutes
- Credential review: 2-3 business days
- Platform orientation: 1 hour
- First project: 3-7 days from application

Current project focus (February 2026): Symptom checker validation, diagnostic reasoning evaluation, clinical note QA, documentation assessment

Most primary care physicians start with 5-10 hours weekly, then scale based on preference. No minimum commitment.

Explore AI Training Opportunities

Questions? Email experts@folioworks.com

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Frequently asked questions

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Do I need malpractice insurance for freelance primary care physician work in Texas?
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How do I get started with freelance primary care physician work in Texas?