Why Healthcare Organizations Are Embracing Recruitment Process Outsourcing

Finding and securing top-tier physician and advanced practice clinician (APC) talent takes expertise, time and resources that many health systems simply don’t have. If you are a healthcare department leader, your priority is to provide exceptional patient care, manage costs and create operational efficiencies.

It makes sense then, that many health systems are turning to recruitment process outsourcing, or RPOs, as a strategic solution to reaching their hiring goals.

In an RPO partnership, a recruitment organization acts as an extension of your team. They work closely with your hiring managers and human resources department to increase your candidate pipeline and manage your hiring process, handling most, if not all, of your recruitment efforts.

The benefits of this arrangement are many — fewer costs, better retention, scalability, access to specialized talent pools, innovative hiring strategies, expert consulting, a broader network, faster time-to-hire and less stress on your staff.

RPO Trends and Growth

The competitive advantage an RPO delivers is real. And as the physician shortage continues, the need for recruitment solutions is increasingly vital. This has contributed to global growth of the RPO market. According to a Technavio report, the RPO market is projected to increase by $13.9 billion at a compound annual growth rate of 19% by 2029.

One trend contributing to this growth is the drive toward a data-informed recruitment process. Armed with data-driven insights, RPO partners can greatly increase the chances for a long-term fit and tailor recruitment strategies to suit the specific needs of your organization.

At Provider Solutions and Development (PS&D), we specialize in connecting healthcare organizations with candidates who have a high probability of being a long-term fit. We do this through our holistic recruiting methods and our comprehensive RPO services. Discover how PS&D supports healthcare organizations in achieving recruitment success.

5 Benefits of Recruitment Process Outsourcing

Health systems that work with an RPO partner are reaping numerous benefits, contributing to overall business growth and smarter talent acquisition strategies. Here’s how your organization can benefit from recruitment process outsourcing:

1. Lower Recruiting Costs

One of the primary benefits of RPO is it can help reduce recruitment costs. According to a report by research firm Aberdeen, 36% of companies that partner with an RPO were able to reduce their costs of hiring. An RPO partner has expertise in optimizing recruitment strategies and reducing the overhead costs associated with the process.

By outsourcing recruitment, healthcare organizations can reduce or eliminate several expenses, including marketing and advertising, screening and interviewing, relocation assistance, and the expense of employing a dedicated team of in-house recruiters. Additionally, RPO solutions allow organizations to scale their recruiting efforts based on their unique needs, enabling them to manage costs more effectively.

For a consistent monthly fee, an RPO partner will assess your organization’s staffing needs and work diligently toward your hiring goals while minimizing the costs and risks associated with the recruitment process. For example, the costs associated with a single physician turnover can range between $88,000 to $1 million. Using an RPO won’t eliminate this risk of course, but it can increase your chances of hiring a provider who will remain in your community for years to come.

2. Top-Tier Physician and APC Candidates

A partnership with a physician RPO organization can significantly enhance your sourcing efforts in several ways.

RPO providers have extensive networks and databases of healthcare professionals, allowing them to tap into a larger pool of qualified candidates, including passive job seekers who may not be actively looking for new opportunities. They also bring industry-specific knowledge and an understanding of various specialty recruitment nuances, enabling them to identify and attract top-tier physician talent more effectively.

RPO providers employ innovative sourcing techniques, including personalized outreach and marketing, and tapping into industry-specific job boards. This behind-the-scenes nurturing of relationships with candidates will sometimes take place over months or even years. RPO organizations will do this “always-on” work for you. Your health system will reap the rewards of this, but you won’t be the ones putting in the time and effort.

When it comes time for the interview phase, RPO services implement rigorous screening processes to ensure only the most qualified and fitting candidates are presented to healthcare organizations, saving time and improving the quality of hires.

Many RPO providers use advanced recruitment technologies and data analytics to develop targeted recruitment strategies. Healthcare RPO organizations are well-versed in the complex compliance and credentialing requirements of the medical field, ensuring that candidates meet necessary qualifications.

3. Faster Time-to-Hire

Lengthy recruitment processes can be detrimental to healthcare organizations and communities. You may lose potential candidates to competitors, end up with increased overall hiring costs and experience a lower capacity for patient care. RPO organizations can help streamline the recruitment process.

For example, many RPO partners have their own applicant tracking systems that manage candidate information, or screening platforms for a more efficient review process. This allows for quicker time-to-hire. According to the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association (RPOA), a highly qualified RPO firm could reduce your organization’s time-to-hire by up to 55%.

At PS&D, our fully integrated RPO model means we are a natural extension of your hiring team, meaning we not only recruit for you, we also consult with you about what your health system can do to improve your processes.

When PS&D began working with Bon Secours Urgent Care, many of their clinics were so short-staffed they had to close their doors at times, causing revenue loss and rendering them unable to provide the consistent access to care their communities needed.

PS&D was able to hire 20 physicians and APCs for BSUC within a six-month period, with an average days-to-fill of 64 (the national average for an Urgent Care hire is 165 days). A big part of that was our expertise in hiring for the Urgent Care setting, and our vast national network of 1.3 million providers. We also streamlined Bon Secours’ hiring process from 12 steps to seven, speeding up the time to offer-extension.

Bon Secours’ Chief Quality & Training Officer Thanh Nguyen says PS&D was a gamechanger.

“What I’ve seen and witnessed so far with our new hires is incredible – it’s an A+ list,” she says. “These are exactly the candidates that we are looking for.”

4. Enhanced Employer Branding

A strong employer brand is essential in attracting the right talent and improving overall employee retention. A quality RPO partner works closely with hiring managers and healthcare organizations to understand and communicate their employer value proposition.

This ensures they effectively reach and engage candidates that align with the hiring organization’s values. Effective employer branding strategies can improve candidate experience, retention and employee engagement levels.

When you partner with PS&D, we meet with you to gain a comprehensive understanding of your vision, values and ideal candidates. Our goal is to match you with providers who align with your mission and become a vital part of your community. We tailor our sourcing and screening processes to ensure the long-term success of your new hires.

When PS&D partnered with Sky Lakes Medical Center, our recruiters traveled to Klamath Falls to meet with the team and get to know the community. One of our recruiters grew up in this southern Oregon town, providing depth to our understanding of the hospital and area.

This personal connection and on-site visit solidified our ability to communicate to candidates about Sky Lakes many positive attributes. Within a year and a half, we were able to hire 22 physicians and APCs into this vital, rural health system.

5. Improved Recruitment Flexibility

The hiring needs of healthcare systems can change over time, so it is essential for the recruiting process to be flexible. An RPO partner can quickly pivot, helping you scale up or down as needed. They are especially valuable for healthcare organizations going through periods of growth or entering or exiting peak hiring season.

The RPO model allows your organization to adjust recruitment efforts when necessary — when there are changes in the market, in the economy or in your hiring needs.

PS&D Can Help You Find Ideal Candidates

Physician and advanced practice clinician recruitment is an ever-evolving process. It's critical to stay ahead of the curve to find and attract ideal candidates. Health systems are becoming more innovative in searching for, interviewing and hiring physicians and APCs. Working with a physician RPO partner rather than relying on job boards alone can greatly benefit your practice, medical group or health system.

A partnership with PS&D gives you access to a nationwide network of candidates and a dedicated team of expert recruiters. We offer a variety of end-to-end RPO solutions and services tailor-made to fulfill the needs of healthcare organizations of all sizes.

What sets PS&D apart is our commitment to working closely with each of our partners to understand their unique needs, culture and goals. This allows us to match them with providers who will thrive, grow and deliver the best possible care to their communities. Reach out today to learn more about PS&D's RPO solutions.