Healthcare recruiter sourcing playbook: Recruiter University (start here)

Ben Argeband, Founder & CEO of Heartbeat.ai — Calm “start here” for burned-out recruiters.

Physician recruiting has predictable friction: clinic hours, gatekeepers, private practice owners who screen everything, and inboxes that punish generic outreach. This hub is a practical healthcare recruiter sourcing playbook you can run weekly: list → verify → reach → refresh → measure.

Lookup TL;DR (choose your path) + common use cases

• I need contacts now: build your segment and contact plan in provider contact data for physician recruiting.
• I’m getting no response: fix channel + timing + ask in why physicians don’t reply.
• I need to prove ROI: set up a scorecard in measure contact data ROI.
• I need to look up a lot of physicians fast: operationalize list building in bulk physician lookup.

Common use cases:

• New req launch: build a tight segment, verify, and run a short sequence before you widen the net.
• Stale list cleanup: refresh cadence + suppression first, then restart outreach.
• No-response troubleshooting: separate data quality issues (deliverability/connect) from message fit (reply/answer).

Fast start: start free search & preview data to pressure-test your current list quality before you scale outreach.

Table of contents

• Who this is for
• Quick Answer
• Framework
• Step-by-step method
• Micro-Asset: Diagnostic Table
• Micro-Asset: Weighted Checklist
• Micro-Asset: Outreach Templates
• Common pitfalls
• How to improve results
• Legal and ethical use
• Evidence and trust notes
• FAQs
• Next steps

Who this is for

This is for healthcare recruiters who want a proven system to reach physicians and fill roles faster—agency, in-house, or recruiting ops—who care about connectability, deliverability, workflow fit, and gross margin protection.

• If your list is stale: fix data quality + refresh cadence before you add volume.
• If you’re busy but not moving reqs: fix measurement and sequence design.
• If leadership wants proof: build a baseline scorecard and show week-over-week movement.

Quick Answer

Core Answer

A healthcare recruiter sourcing playbook is a repeatable list→verify→reach→refresh→measure workflow that improves physician connectability, protects margin, and speeds submittals.

Key Statistic

Heartbeat observed typicals: teams who stabilize output fastest start with a baseline scorecard plus a Week 1 plan (segment definition, verification gates, first sequence, and suppression workflow).

Best For

Healthcare recruiters who want a proven system to reach physicians and fill roles faster.

Compliance & Safety

This method is for legitimate recruiting outreach only. Always respect candidate privacy, opt-out requests, and local data laws. Heartbeat does not provide medical advice or legal counsel.

Framework: The “Recruiter Reset” Map: Small steps that compound

Most sourcing problems are workflow problems. The Recruiter Reset Map is a weekly loop that keeps your desk predictable:

1. Reset the list: define the exact physician segment and build a clean starting set.
2. Reset data quality: verify what you’ll use (email deliverability + phone connectability) before you burn touches.
3. Reset reach: run a short, multi-channel sequence that fits physician reality (short windows, low patience).
4. Reset refresh cadence: schedule updates so your list doesn’t decay between searches.
5. Reset measurement: keep a baseline scorecard so you can defend spend and fix bottlenecks fast.

The trade-off is… you’ll do less random activity and more controlled reps. That’s how you get repeatable output without heroics.

Step-by-step method

Step 1) Build a segment you can finish this week (list)

• Define the segment: specialty, geography, setting (hospital-employed vs private practice), and seniority.
• Define the decision-maker reality: in private practice, the physician may be the owner; in employed settings, you still often need physician pull to move fast.
• Capture identifiers: name, specialty, location, and any professional identifiers you track in your ATS/CRM.

If you’re tempted to buy a static list, don’t. Buying static lists is risky because of decay. The modern standard is Access + Refresh + Verification + Suppression.

Step 2) Put verification gates in front of outreach (verify)

Verification is how you protect your channel reputation and your time.

• Email: reduce bounces and protect sender reputation by verifying before sequences.
• Phone: prioritize numbers that are more likely to connect to a real person (not a switchboard loop).
• Suppression: centralize consent, opt-out, and “do not contact” across tools. Suppression = your centralized opt-out/do-not-contact list applied across email, phone, and any sequencing tools.

Metric definitions (use these consistently):

• Connect Rate = connected calls / total dials (per 100 dials).
• Answer Rate = human answers / connected calls (per 100 connected calls).
• Deliverability Rate = delivered emails / sent emails (per 100 sent emails).
• Bounce Rate = bounced emails / sent emails (per 100 sent emails).
• Reply Rate = replies / delivered emails (per 100 delivered emails).

Step 3) Run a physician-realistic sequence (reach)

Physicians don’t live in your CRM. Your sequence has to respect their day: early mornings, lunch gaps, post-clinic, and between cases. Keep it short, specific, and easy to respond to.

• Channel mix: email + phone + voicemail (and text only where appropriate, permitted, and aligned with your organization’s consent/opt-out process).
• Message: role snapshot, why them, and a single next step (two time options or a yes/no question).
• Cadence: tight enough to be remembered, not so aggressive you trigger opt-outs.

Step 4) Schedule refresh cadence (refresh)

Contact data decays. If you don’t plan refresh cadence, you’ll keep re-sourcing the same people and blaming the market.

• Refresh triggers: bounced email, repeated no-connect outcomes, role change, or a new requisition in the same segment.
• Refresh outputs: updated email/phone, updated practice affiliation, and updated suppression status.

Step 5) Keep a weekly scorecard (measure)

Measure this by… running a weekly scorecard per segment that ties outreach quality to pipeline movement. If you can’t show the denominator, you can’t fix the bottleneck.

• Connect Rate (connected calls / total dials, per 100 dials)
• Answer Rate (human answers / connected calls, per 100 connected calls)
• Deliverability Rate (delivered emails / sent emails, per 100 sent emails)
• Bounce Rate (bounced emails / sent emails, per 100 sent emails)
• Reply Rate (replies / delivered emails, per 100 delivered emails)

Scorecard fields to track (no guessing, just capture):

• Segment: specialty, geography, setting, and inclusion rules
• Phone activity: total dials, connected calls, human answers, voicemails left
• Email activity: emails sent, delivered emails, bounced emails, replies
• Compliance: opt-outs, do-not-contact adds, suppression list version/date
• Pipeline movement: screens scheduled, submitted, placed
• Notes: top objections and the sequence version used

Outputs per step (what to save in your ATS/CRM)

• List: segment definition, source notes, and the exact inclusion/exclusion rules you used.
• Verify: verification status, last refreshed date, and suppression status (consent/opt-out/do not contact).
• Reach: sequence version, channel used, and outcome tags (connected, answered, replied, opt-out).
• Refresh: trigger that caused refresh (bounce/no-connect/new req) and what changed (email/phone/affiliation).
• Measure: weekly scorecard snapshot by segment (Connect/Answer/Deliverability/Bounce/Reply Rates plus stage movement: screen scheduled, submitted, placed).

Micro-Asset: Diagnostic Table

Micro-Asset: Weighted Checklist

Use this to decide whether a segment is ready to work today (not “someday”). Score each item 0–2 and total it.

• (2) Segment clarity: specialty + geography + setting defined (physician recruiting reality, not a vague persona).
• (2) Email gate: you can report Deliverability Rate (delivered emails / sent emails, per 100 sent emails) and Bounce Rate (bounced emails / sent emails, per 100 sent emails).
• (2) Phone gate: you can report Connect Rate (connected calls / total dials, per 100 dials) and Answer Rate (human answers / connected calls, per 100 connected calls).
• (2) Consent + opt-out: opt-out and suppression are centralized and honored across tools.
• (2) Refresh cadence: you have a scheduled refresh trigger (bounce/no-connect/new req).
• (2) ROI readiness: you can tie outreach to pipeline stages (screen scheduled, submitted, placed).

Interpretation: 10–12 = work it now; 7–9 = fix one gate before scaling; ≤6 = you’re about to waste touches and time.

Micro-Asset: Outreach Templates

Email template (short, physician-realistic)

Subject: {Specialty} role — quick question

Body: Hi Dr. {LastName} — I’m recruiting for a {Setting} {Specialty} role in {City/Region}. Are you open to a 10-minute call this week, or should I close the loop?

If easier, reply with “yes” and a best time window (before clinic / lunch / after clinic).

— {YourName}

Voicemail template (10–15 seconds)

“Dr. {LastName}, this is {YourName}. I’m calling about a {Specialty} role in {Region}. If you’re open to a quick 10-minute chat, call me at {Number}. If not, just reply ‘no’ and I’ll stop.”

Call opener (gatekeeper-safe)

“Hi—can you help me reach Dr. {LastName}? This is recruiting-related and I only need 30 seconds to confirm interest.”

Common pitfalls

• Working a segment that’s too broad: you can’t learn what works if every touch is a different persona.
• Measuring activity instead of outcomes: dials and sends don’t protect margin; Connect Rate and Deliverability Rate do.
• Ignoring opt-out and consent: you create compliance risk and burn channel reputation.
• Refreshing only when things break: refresh cadence should be scheduled, not emotional.

Recruiter University COURSE_PATH (Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3)

This hub is designed as a short course path you can run with a desk, a pod, or a full team. Assign one deliverable per week and link it to the right page.

• Week 1 — Baseline + segment: pick one specialty segment, build your list, and set your baseline scorecard. Assignment: read how to measure contact data ROI and define your Connect Rate and Deliverability Rate baselines.
• Week 2 — Verification + suppression: implement verification gates and opt-out handling. Assignment: standardize your data quality checks using provider contact data as the reference workflow.
• Week 3 — Outreach + refresh cadence: run a tight sequence, then refresh based on triggers (bounce/no-connect/new req). Assignment: operationalize list building with bulk physician lookup and document your refresh cadence.

How to improve results

If you want better outcomes without adding headcount, improve the system in this order:

1. Improve data quality first: raise Deliverability Rate (delivered emails / sent emails, per 100 sent emails) before you scale sends.
2. Then improve connectability: raise Connect Rate (connected calls / total dials, per 100 dials) by tightening call windows and prioritizing direct lines.
3. Then improve message fit: shorten, personalize lightly, and make the next step binary.
4. Then improve refresh cadence: schedule refresh triggers so you stop reworking the same stale list.

Measurement instructions: run a weekly scorecard for each segment you work. Track Connect Rate per 100 dials and Deliverability Rate per 100 sent emails. Keep the same segment definition for at least one week so changes are attributable. Add Answer Rate per 100 connected calls and Reply Rate per 100 delivered emails if you want to isolate message fit from data quality.

Legal and ethical use

Use this playbook for legitimate physician recruiting only. Maintain consent and opt-out handling across every channel you use. Keep a suppression list, honor opt-out requests promptly, and document your process for recruiting ops.

Nothing here is legal advice. If you have questions about TCPA, CAN-SPAM, or state-specific rules, consult qualified counsel and align with your organization’s compliance team.

Evidence and trust notes

How we think about accuracy, sourcing, and updates: Heartbeat trust methodology. This covers data quality, refresh cadence, and suppression expectations so teams can run consistent recruiting ops.

• FCC: Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) (compliance baseline)
• FTC: CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide (compliance baseline)

FAQs

What should I measure first in a physician outreach workflow?

Start with Connect Rate (connected calls / total dials, per 100 dials) and Deliverability Rate (delivered emails / sent emails, per 100 sent emails). If either is weak, fix that before changing messaging.

How often should I refresh physician contact data?

Set refresh cadence based on triggers: bounces, repeated no-connect outcomes, role/practice changes, and new requisitions in the same segment. Don’t wait for a quarter to pass.

Why do physicians ignore recruiting messages even when the job is good?

Timing, channel mismatch, and unclear asks are common. Use short messages, physician-friendly call windows, and a single next step. For a deeper fix list, see why physicians don’t reply.

How do I keep outreach compliant while moving fast?

Centralize consent and opt-out handling, maintain suppression lists, and document your process. Use official guidance as a baseline (TCPA/CAN-SPAM) and follow your internal policies.

Next steps

• Run Week 1 today (Recruiter University): start free search & preview data, pick one segment, and set your baseline scorecard.
• Need the workflow reference: use provider contact data as your list→verify→reach→refresh baseline.
• Need measurement and ROI proof: implement the scorecard from measure contact data ROI.
• Need scale: move list building into a repeatable process with bulk physician lookup.

About the Author

Ben Argeband is the Founder and CEO of Swordfish.ai and Heartbeat.ai. With deep expertise in data and SaaS, he has built two successful platforms trusted by over 50,000 sales and recruitment professionals. Ben’s mission is to help teams find direct contact information for hard-to-reach professionals and decision-makers, providing the shortest route to their next win. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn.