Case Study: Improving Behavioral Healthcare Staffing: Reducing Vacancies, Enhancing Care 

A leading provider of behavioral healthcare services in California specializes in supporting individuals with serious mental illness. With almost 200 programs spanning acute, crisis, residential, and community-based settings, the organization is committed to helping individuals with complex needs. 

Specialized Programs 

This provider’s specialized programs are designed to support individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) who have a dual diagnosis of a serious mental illness (SMI). Managing co-occurring mental health conditions presents unique challenges, requiring expert intervention and tailored support to foster independent living and overall well-being. 

Business Case 

The organization engaged Xelerate to optimize recruitment efforts for 10 specialized programs amid the challenges of low state-funded reimbursements. To maximize revenue potential, the organization needed an effective hiring strategy to ensure adequate staffing levels. Key challenges within the existing talent strategy included: 

• Difficulty identifying and attracting qualified candidates 
• High vacancy rates impacting patient care 
• Employee retention concerns 
• Lengthy preboarding processes extending time-to-fill 
• Reporting inefficiencies within the applicant tracking system (ATS) 

Implementations 

To address these challenges, Xelerate is focused on several targeted solutions: 

• Dedicated Recruiting Team – a streamlined the hiring process with three dedicated recruiters and one onboarding specialist to reduce time-to-fill. 
• Focus on Quality – Prioritizing candidate alignment with clinical population needs, program culture, and long-term retention potential—ensuring not just any hire, but the right hire.
• New-Hire Experience Survey –Opportunities to improve employee satisfaction and retention. 
• Vacancy Tracking System – Real-time monitoring of open positions across all program sites. 
• ATS Optimization – Enhanced tracking and reporting capabilities to improve hiring efficiency with Xelerate’s in-house ATS. 
• Consistent, Effective Interview Process– Structured, behavior-based interview techniques and decision-making frameworks to ensure better hiring alignment and reduce bias.

Results 

• Vacancy rate reduced from 33% to 24% within 90 days, allowing the organization to bill for a greater number of staffed positions. 
• Average time-to-fill improved to 24 days, accelerating the preboarding process and enabling faster revenue generation from new hires. 
• Enhanced prescreening and hiring processes resulted in an increase in identifying quality candidates, ultimately reducing attrition risks.