A Conversation with ... Greg Coir

Reaffirming a commitment to the client

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Greg Coir, Vedior NA

Greg Coir, co-founder and president of Clinical One, a division of Vedior North America (NA) (www.vediorna.com), discusses the staffing giant's specialized services, the power behind its recent acquisitions and an outlook on the allied healthcare staffing market.

RT Image: As one of the largest staffing companies in the country, how does Vedior North America distinguish itself from its competitors?

Greg Coir: Vedior North America has always distinguished itself from its competitors by providing the highest quality of staff with the highest level of service (relationship-based). We do this through a multi-branding approach – expert companies within their own respective niche areas (i.e., healthcare, information technology, accounting and finance, human resources, legal, pharma, engineering, administrative, etc.).

Through this expanded network of companies, Vedior NA can provide all levels of engagements, from an individual staffing services contract to a multi-faceted managed service engagement.

RT: In 2005, Vedior acquired a number of other companies, including Locum Medical Group. How will this affect current and prospective clients?

Coir: In 2005, Vedior acquired two healthcare type staffing firms – Locum Medical Group and Delta-Pharma. Locum's focus is in the physician recruitment space, while Delta's focus is in the clinical trials and scientific staffing space. Together with Clinical One, Locum and Delta make up the three main brands within the healthcare silo of Vedior North America.

We find that many of our clients – mainly hospitals – would like to consolidate vendors and use fewer staffing suppliers who can provide a broader range of services. We plan to utilize our expanded network of companies and resources to achieve this cross-selling. We also see an opportunity for cross-recruiting nurses and other clinical staff from the hospital space into the clinical trials space.

RT: Locum Medical Group provides temporary and permanent physician staffing to healthcare facilities nationwide. What is your outlook for the need to fill radiologist positions over the next five years?

Coir: Enrollment in radiology residency programs has been flat to slightly down over the past 10 years, primarily due to a lack of teaching staff; many have been recruited away to higher paying private positions. Consequently, the output of new residents is expected to remain static, while demand continues to accelerate due to new technologies and increased utilization.

Teleradiology is helping to redistribute the supply bottlenecks; however, it is also absorbing more experienced radiologists who want more flexible hours. Vacancy projections for the next five years range from 6 percent to 14 percent, increasing to possibly 17 percent by 2015. It's a situation that will continue to drive salaries upward and drive down the supply of academic radiologists, which will pose staffing challenges for many years.

RT: In addition to providing travel contracts throughout the United States, Clinical One also offers placement in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Can you tell us a little more about that?

Coir: Clinical One does not currently offer placement services in Canada, although we do recruit nursing and allied health professionals from Canada into the United States on TN visas.

Clinical One offers nursing, allied health and social care professionals from the U.S. the opportunity to work on six- to 12-month contracts in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. We do this through a partnership with other worldwide Vedior healthcare companies who maintain local offices in these countries and who facilitate the placement, licensing and immigration process for the healthcare employee. They also provide assistance with accommodations and other assimilation challenges that can arise while the employee is working abroad.

RT: Now that Clinical One's travel and contract staffing divisions have received certification by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) under its Healthcare Staffing Services Certification Program, what does this mean for your clients and employees?

Coir: Since our inception in 1993, Clinical One has always created and maintained the highest standards of quality in the healthcare staffing industry. Since JCAHO has been accrediting hospitals for more 50 years and its nationwide seal of approval has indicated that high performance standards have been met, we are certainly proud of this recognition. However, it simply reaffirms this commitment to our clients and employees on a more formal level.

RT: What are your predictions for the allied staffing market?

Coir: The allied healthcare staffing market is expected to achieve around 10 percent annualized growth over the next five to six years. Although allied health is broadly defined, the majority of professions and specialties that make up this category are expected to experience high demand over the next several years, especially in the areas of rehab (physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology), radiology and pharmacy.

— Tom Schaffner