Cutting Recruiting Costs & Building a Stronger Candidate Pipeline

"I could make a case to hire three more people. But if I'm going to trip over those hires just to get to the same doctor, and I can do it more quickly with Accel, I would rather work smarter than harder."

‍— Angela Lee, Director of Talent Acquisition, Millennium Physician Group

The Challenge: Expensive, Slow Methods Weren't Delivering Results

Angela Lee has been recruiting physicians since 2007, with extensive experience in both agency and corporate environments. As Director of Talent Acquisition at Millennium Physician Group (MPG), she oversees hiring for one of Florida's largest outpatient physician networks.

MPG faced the same recruitment challenges plaguing healthcare organizations nationwide: an aging physician population, urgent hiring needs, and increasingly expensive traditional methods that weren't delivering quality candidates fast enough.

When physicians retire with large patient panels, finding replacements becomes critical for continuity of care. But MPG's existing approach was falling short.

The problems with their traditional approach:

• Job boards delivered minimal results: Practice Link and Practice Match required posting jobs and waiting months for applicants
• Career fairs were expensive with limited ROI: $1,000 booth fees plus $1,000+ in travel costs, often yielding just one candidate contact
• Contact information was hard to find: They could only locate phone numbers for less than half their target candidates
• LinkedIn wasn't effective: Despite significant investment, LinkedIn wasn't where physicians spent their time

With such a small recruiting team, MPG needed tools that would amplify their efforts without requiring additional headcount.

The Solution: Proactive Candidate Sourcing with Accel Health

In August 2023, MPG partnered with Accel Health to transform their approach from passive job posting to proactive candidate sourcing. What attracted Angela wasn't just the AI technology - it was working with a team that understood healthcare recruiting from the inside.

Austin Ali, Accel Health's co-founder, spent 10 years as a physician recruiter before building the platform. As Angela said, “that like-mindedness and understanding where you're coming from when you're in the trenches is much different from someone who doesn't have that experience or knowledge.”

Because of that unique understanding, Accel Health's platform offered something MPG's other tools couldn't: the ability to be proactive rather than reactive in their recruitment efforts.

Key features that made the difference:

• Enriched candidate data: Access to comprehensive physician profiles with verified contact information
• Direct outreach capabilities: Text messaging functionality to connect with candidates immediately
• AI-powered matching: Intelligent algorithms that identify ideal candidates based on specialty, location preferences, salary requirements, and practice style
• Real-time responsiveness: Platform designed for speed in a time-sensitive industry

The platform addressed MPG's core problem: getting in front of qualified candidates quickly and efficiently, rather than waiting for them to respond to job postings.

The Results: 85% Contact Rate and Faster Hires

The transformation was measurable and immediate. Within months of implementation, Accel Health became MPG's most effective recruiting channel for certain specialties.

Before Accel Health:

• Found contact information for less than 50% of target candidates
• Relied on career fairs costing $2,000+ per event for potentially one candidate
• LinkedIn recruiting spend approaching $100,000 annually with limited physician engagement
• Waited months to see results from job board postings

After Accel Health:

• 85% contact discovery rate - a 70% improvement in finding candidate contact information
• 37% increase in candidate pipeline within the first few months
• Text messaging became their #1 outreach channel
• Faster response rates from more engaged candidates
• Reduced dependency on expensive third-party recruiters while improving candidate quality

Angela observed that candidates sourced through Accel Health were notably more responsive than those from other channels. Since physicians had already indicated their job preferences in the platform, they were genuinely interested when matched to relevant opportunities.

The speed advantage proved crucial in healthcare recruiting, where timing can make or break a placement.

"The candidate that replies today is a candidate you want to call today," Angela emphasizes. "If you wait 24-48 hours, they’re already gone. They've already seen five other opportunities."

The Technology Advantage: Working Smarter, Not Harder

For MPG's small recruiting team, efficiency was everything. Angela saw Accel Health as a way to amplify their capabilities without adding headcount.

The math was simple: with a limited number of physicians in the market, having multiple recruiters chase the same candidates creates inefficiency:

"I would rather [work] smarter versus harder,” Angela told us. “I could make a case to hire three more people. But if I'm going to trip over those people just to get to the same doctor, and I can do it more quickly with Accel, I would rather do it that way.”

The platform's intuitive design was crucial for adoption. Despite its sophisticated underlying technology, Angela found the interface straightforward to navigate. When she provided feedback on potential improvements, the Accel Health team implemented changes quickly - a responsiveness that stood out compared to other vendor relationships.

Key operational benefits:

• Streamlined workflow: Single platform for candidate discovery, contact, and outreach
• Real-time feedback: Understanding of which messaging approaches work best
• Scalable process: Technology handles volume while maintaining personal touch
• Quick implementation: Platform was operational within days, not weeks

Beyond Technology: The Relationship Factor

While Accel Health's technology capabilities attracted MPG, the service approach secured the long-term partnership.

Angela valued having direct access to the team when issues arose, with quick response times and resolution-focused support. When she provided feedback on platform improvements, the team implemented changes rapidly - a responsiveness that distinguished Accel Health from other vendor relationships.

This partnership approach aligned perfectly with Angela's philosophy about healthcare recruiting. As someone who lives in the communities where MPG places physicians, she understands that recruiting isn't just about filling positions - it's about ensuring patients have access to quality healthcare.

The shared commitment to serving healthcare communities created natural alignment between MPG's mission and Accel Health's approach to supporting their recruiting efforts.

Looking Forward: Staying Ahead of the Competition

As MPG continues to grow and the healthcare recruiting landscape evolves, Angela sees Accel Health as a competitive advantage.

Her advice to other healthcare recruiters is straightforward: embrace technology that keeps you ahead of the competition, or risk falling behind. In an industry where the best candidates move quickly, having superior tools and processes isn't optional - it's essential for success.

For Angela, the partnership represents more than just better recruiting metrics - it's about providing better healthcare to the communities MPG serves, faster.

"For us, it's not just the revenue, it's the lives," she says. "When I need a physician and I need a physician quickly, sometimes it's because I have another physician retiring. And an extra month of transition time could be everything for that new person."

About Millennium Physician Group Millennium Physician Group is one of the largest physician-owned practices in Florida, serving patients across multiple locations with a focus on primary care and specialty services.

Ready to transform your physician recruitment? Schedule a demo with Accel Health to see how we can help you find quality candidates faster.

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