Background: A Disjointed Start

United Digestive (UD), a consortium of gastroenterology private practices, emerged in 2018 as a unified platform to bring together gastroenterology groups across Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. But despite the consolidation of clinical talent, the recruiting infrastructure remained outdated and fragmented. 

As Jacob Stephenson, Director of Talent Acquisition, describes it, “Everyone knew that recruiting was important, but they didn’t have a recruiting process in place... it was just everyone roll their sleeves up and get it done.”

By mid-2024, UD’s hiring goals had grown significantly, and the traditional tools—email, job boards, and internal spreadsheets—were no longer cutting it. The organization needed a modern, scalable solution that could provide direct, meaningful access to candidates in a crowded, competitive market.

Why Accel Health

In August 2024, United Digestive adopted Accel Health with an initial goal of leveraging its smart texting capabilities. The appeal wasn’t just SMS outreach—it was the combination of lead generation and direct communication in one platform.

“Accel offered a way for us to text and to text smartly,” Stephenson explains. “We were able to target segmented groups and send out messages that linked back to our job postings.” Unlike job boards or platforms that rely on email, Accel gave UD the ability to reach GI physicians and CRNAs directly—on a channel where they actually engage.

Results: From Conversations to Conversions

Within the first six months, Accel Health had delivered more than just placements—it enabled strategic conversations. “It’s been a lot of at-bats,” says Stephenson. “The ROI isn’t just in signings—it’s in the people we got to speak with. We could learn their comp, why they’re staying or leaving, and what they like about us.”

This intelligence became critical for a team tasked with hiring at scale. UD brought on three clinicians through Accel—two CRNAs and one GI physician. But more importantly, it established a new recruiting rhythm. “Accel very quickly became one of our better sources,” Stephenson adds. “For CRNAs in particular—where the market is transactional—it became our number one referral source.”

Efficiency Gains and Cost Savings

Before Accel, UD had just implemented a separate texting platform. But that system required Stephenson’s team to manually generate lead lists and source contact information—an effort-intensive process. Accel eliminated that overhead.

“The benefit for Accel is it’s both of those things,” he says. “It will help me generate the lists and the contact info, and then I can send blast messages that way. It saves time. I can do all those things in one place.”

And the financial impact? Significant. Stephenson estimates that contingency recruitment firms typically charge $30,000–$35,000 per GI physician placement and $25,000–$30,000 for CRNAs. “We were able to avoid paying nearly $100,000 for just those three hires. Accel paid for itself very quickly.”

Standing Out in a Crowded Market

In a landscape where physicians and advanced practice providers are inundated with emails and recruiter spam, standing out is critical. “We’re always looking for new ways to reach docs,” Stephenson says. “Accel gives us a more targeted method, and I know that when we go to a conference, we’re not an unknown anymore. Even out-of-state candidates recognize our name because they’ve seen our messages.”

This kind of brand reinforcement—and the ability to send evergreen postings and quick blasts—helped transform recruiting from a reactive function into a proactive one.

Looking Ahead

As Accel rolls out self-serve features, like direct in-platform messaging and job blast customization, Stephenson anticipates even deeper integration. “We anticipate we can eliminate the text platform and select sourcing methods we brought on last year and reinvest that spend.”

Most importantly, Accel didn’t just replace another platform—it created a new capability. “It was an extra cost we didn’t budget for in 2024,” Stephenson says. “But it performed!”

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