Case Study: Neurosurgeon Recruitment in Texas – How a Stalled Search Was Resolved Within Four Months

Finding the right neurosurgeon for a high-volume trauma center is one of the most demanding recruitment challenges a health system can face. This case study walks through how CI Health Group stepped into a stalled search and delivered results in just four months. 

A 324-bed Level III Trauma Center in Texarkana, Texas had long maintained a stable, three-physician neurosurgery group. The practice handled a demanding surgical volume across both cranial and spine cases, serving a patient population with limited access to specialty care elsewhere in the region.

The group’s stability changed when a mid-career, high-producing neurosurgeon departed the practice. What remained was a two-surgeon group with limited capacity to absorb the volume with one physician approaching retirement and winding down his caseload, and a younger surgeon already operating at full capacity. Cases that had previously been handled in-house were now at risk of being transferred to outside facilities, taking volume and patient relationships with them. At an estimated $9,500 in daily revenue from their neurosurgeons, the hospital stood to lose significantly for every day the position remained open.

With time working against them, the hospital needed a recruiting partner who could move quickly. They turned to CI Health Group, drawing on their existing relationship and a track record of successful placements in the market. CI Health Group already knew the Texarkana landscape, understood how physician recruiting works in the region, and had the outreach infrastructure to target neurosurgeons that the hospital's standard internal recruitment methods couldn't reach as quickly.

Physician recruitment for surgical specialties requires a different approach than standard hiring processes, and CI Health Group built its strategy around that reality from day one. 
 With one surgeon nearing retirement and the other already stretched thin, any delay in filling the vacancy meant continued case transfers and an accelerating volume gap.

The ideal candidate profile was specific. The group needed someone with several years of post-training experience, independent enough to work in an environment with limited mentorship bandwidth, and confident enough to handle a high surgical volume from day one. Given the facility’s case mix, finding a neurosurgeon comfortable with cranial procedures, or a balanced cranial-spine mix, was equally important.

Texarkana's geography added another layer of difficulty to the search. Sitting on the Texas-Arkansas state line and drawing from a broad but sparsely populated region, it's a market that requires a targeted approach, but can be an attractive location for mid-career physicians looking to escape the “structural ceilings” of over-saturated metropolitan markets.

CI Health Group took over the search with a clear priority and a set of proven physician recruiting strategies: revive a search that had stalled out and identify multiple candidates who matched what this practice needed.

The team built an active outreach strategy from the start, combining direct sourcing, targeted email and SMS outreach, and specialty-specific job board positioning to reach both actively searching neurosurgeons and those open to the right opportunity. Every candidate submitted was vetted against the client's parameters before moving forward. Experience level, surgical volume comfort, and the ability to work independently were all evaluated upfront.

Within roughly two months of launching the search, seven qualified neurosurgery candidates had been submitted to the client. Two were selected for onsite interviews. Both represented strong clinical matches, and the onsite visits gave the practice the opportunity to assess each candidate directly and determine who would fit the group.

Of the two candidates who interviewed onsite, one stood out as the stronger fit for the group. He brought the post-training experience the practice needed, the surgical confidence the environment demanded, and a practice profile that aligned with the facility's cranial and spine volume. Additionally, the candidate was already located and licensed in Texas, allowing the hospital to get him seeing patients sooner and start recovering the case volume they had been losing.

Within four months, CI Health Group stepped into a search that had stalled, identified seven qualified neurosurgery candidates, and moved two through to onsite interviews. The client made a swift hiring decision from there, filling their neurosurgery vacancy that had been putting significant strain on their existing two surgeons and effectively secured the next 20 years of the program’s leadership in the region.

CI Health Group specializes in hard-to-fill searches across all specialties and markets. Whether you're dealing with geographic challenges, a tight candidate pool, or a role that requires a precise cultural and clinical fit, our team builds targeted recruitment strategies around your specific needs. Schedule a consultation with our team to discuss your open position. It's cost, hassle, and commitment-free.