4 Healthcare RPO Models and Their Benefits

As the physician shortage continues to strain healthcare facilities, more health systems are relying on Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) to source, screen and hire the providers they need.

RPO solutions are not one-size-fits-all — there are several effective models. Provider Solutions and Development (PS&D) offers three service model options tailored to our partners needs with a shared-risk fee structure. This leads to a true, results-driven partnership.

We work closely with healthcare organizations to find physician and advanced practice clinician (APC) candidates who will be a long-term fit, resulting in dependable pipelines, improved retention, and ultimately, healthier communities.

Learn more about our APC and physician recruitment services and solutions.

What Is Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)?

Recruitment process outsourcing is an integrated partnership between a hiring organization and a specialized service provider. The customer organization transfers the management of all or part of its recruitment activities to their RPO partner. By outsourcing recruitment, health systems can save significant time, reduce costs and improve the overall quality of candidates while enhancing the new-hire experience.

The RPO group generally functions as an extension of the company’s HR or recruitment team, acting as a strategic partner and bringing specialized knowledge and expertise to recruitment. This enables organizations to focus on their core functions and enjoy a more efficient and effective talent acquisition process.

PS&D’s Service Models:

• Fully Integrated RPO We are the exclusive provider of recruitment services for your organization, handling most, if not all, aspects of the recruitment process. You’ll have a dedicated recruiter acting as an extension of your organization’s hiring team, allowing for a seamless handoff of candidates as they move through the screening process. This option works well for smaller organizations with lower search volumes.

• Recruitment Management Service Outsourcing (MSO) We work with your internal recruitment team in a true shared-risk partnership to address higher search volumes. Once PS&D and a partner agree on the project scope, we put together a team of recruiters to help you achieve your recruitment goals, focusing on ensuring the right fit and quickest time-to-fill. This option works well for larger hospitals or health systems with high growth plans.

• Retained Search (Project-Based) We give provider recruitment support for a limited number of individual searches. PS&D works with your organization’s hiring team to determine which support services will best meet the goals of these searches. This option works well for a specific service line expansion.

How Does RPO Work?

When a healthcare organization enters an RPO agreement, their new recruitment partner takes charge of either all or part of the recruiting process. Outsourcing recruitment involves working closely with hiring managers to help define and implement workforce planning strategies to meet long-term business objectives.

RPO providers typically manage job advertising, candidate sourcing, screening and selection, interview coordination, compliance management and onboarding. Your organization not only gets the benefit of recruiting experts, but also the technology, tools and resources they use to attract top talent.

RPO engagements allow for flexibility and scalability, with organizations able to increase or decrease the partner’s involvement as required to meet their recruitment needs.

4 RPO Models and Their Benefits

As healthcare organizations evolve and their hiring needs change, they must adapt to new talent acquisition strategies. Recruitment outsourcing allows your organization to meet fluctuating hiring goals, especially when trying to attract in-demand specialists in highly competitive markets. There are four common models of RPO solutions, each with their own strengths.

1. Project RPO

A project-based RPO model is ideal for organizations that need help with hiring for a specific project or a fixed set of roles over a short timeframe. A project RPO expert would work closely with a health system to establish job requirements, hiring processes and deliverables needed to be met within a specified period.

This is PS&D’s retained search (project-based) model, which can be particularly useful for health systems experiencing unexpected growth or launching a new service line that requires additional staffing.

Main Benefit: Fill Immediate Hiring Needs with Flexibility

Project RPO Benefits:

• Flexible and scalable, as it is tailored to a specific team or clinic.
• Allows the hiring company to fulfill immediate staffing needs without investing in a long-term partnership.
• Can help avoid overburdening the existing recruitment team during crucial periods.

2. Recruiter-on-Demand

Recruiter-on-Demand is an RPO recruitment model where healthcare organizations can access expert recruiters as needed, without the long-term commitment typically associated with RPO. This model can be useful for health systems that have fluctuating hiring needs and can benefit from a volume-based fee structure. When using this Recruiter-On-Demand model, organizations can easily scale the level of support they receive from the RPO partner, depending on their immediate needs.

Main Benefit: Scalable Expert Support as You Need It

Recruiter-on-Demand Benefits:

• Offers flexibility and scalability, as recruiters can be engaged on an as-needed basis.
• Allows health systems to maintain control over their recruitment process while receiving support as required.
• Can be a more cost-effective option for organizations with varying hiring needs throughout the year.
• Provides consistent set-rate structure, which eases administrative and budgeting variability.

3. Hybrid RPO

Hybrid RPO is a strategic choice for health systems looking to optimize their recruitment processes and improve hiring outcomes without committing to an end-to-end RPO partnership.

Hybrid RPO involves outsourcing specific searches, while the in-house recruitment team handles the rest. These activities typically include candidate marketing, sourcing, screening, onboarding support and management of applicant tracking reports.

This is PS&D’s Recruitment MSO model, in which we work with your internal recruitment team in a true shared-risk partnership to address higher search volumes. In addition, we consult on partner processes to strengthen the hiring practices you need assistance with.

Main Benefit: Streamline Specific Recruitment Tasks Strategically

Hybrid RPO Benefits:

• Enables organizations to target hiring challenges and pain points more effectively.
• Helps healthcare organizations streamline their recruitment processes without the need to make significant changes to internal structures or strategies.
• Allows companies to test the waters with RPO before committing to a more extensive engagement.

4. End-to-End RPO

End-to-end RPO is a comprehensive strategy that empowers businesses with a fully integrated, clinical recruitment operation. This allows incumbent HR and T/A teams to focus on core priorities, extends their capabilities, and eliminates the need to manage multiple recruitment resources all at the same time.

The end-to-end integrated solution involves outsourcing the entire provider recruitment function to a highly effective and experienced partner. The RPO specialist becomes an extension of your clinical talent acquisition department. Their team of experienced recruiters and support staff work closely with you to develop a customized recruitment strategy that aligns with your organization's culture, goals and values.

This is PS&D’s Fully Integrated RPO model, in which we are the exclusive provider of recruitment services for your organization, handling most, if not all, aspects of the recruitment process.

Main Benefit: Comprehensive Hiring Strategy for Optimal Results

End-to-End RPO Benefits:

• Gives organizations the ability to transform their talent acquisition strategy.
• Improves hiring speed, quality and consistency while reducing costs.
• Provides scalability, allowing healthcare organizations to quickly adjust recruitment efforts in response to market fluctuations or changes in business priorities.

When Should a Health System Use RPO?

The healthcare industry is facing a severe physician shortage. Having a provider recruitment firm with in-depth knowledge, experience, state-of-the-art resources and deep understanding of the industry is critical in today’s challenging recruiting environment.

Companies experiencing rapid growth or cyclical hiring needs can also benefit from RPO services. An RPO partner can seamlessly ramp their services up or down as needed, allowing your organization to remain agile and responsive to any changes in the market.

Lastly, RPO can provide valuable industry insights and access to a larger network of top talent, increasing the chances of finding the right candidate and reducing time-to-fill.

How to Choose the Best Healthcare RPO Company

Choosing the best healthcare recruitment process outsourcing company is crucial for ensuring high-quality hires and efficient staffing in your healthcare organization. Start by assessing the recruiting company’s industry expertise and track record.

Look for organizations with a deep understanding of physician and advanced practice clinician roles, regulations and recruitment challenges. Review their case studies, client lists and success metrics to gauge their ability to handle organizations like yours.

Next, evaluate the scalability and flexibility of their services. The ideal healthcare RPO partner should be able to adapt to your organization’s changing needs, whether you’re looking to fill a few specialist positions or manage a large-scale hiring surge.

Lastly, thoroughly check testimonials and references to gauge client satisfaction levels. By carefully considering these factors, you can select a healthcare RPO company that can help alleviate the stress, time and expense of sourcing and hiring the providers you need on your own.

PS&D Can Connect You to Top Talent

PS&D is well-positioned to do just that. We can help your healthcare organization gain access to a broader talent pool, understand and adapt to recruiting trends, and ultimately find best-fit candidates.

With a national reach and three service models, we are set up to meet the unique needs of any practice, medical group, hospital or health system. Our commitment to understanding both providers and partners leads to ideal matches and high retention rates.

If your organization doesn’t have the expertise, time or financial resources to build a recruitment program, or if your existing team could use some assistance, reach out today.