4 Ways to Get More Hospice Referrals 

The hospice referral process has its fair share of complexities. Oftentimes, hospice referrals come from a patient’s healthcare provider. The trouble is that your hospice agency is likely competing with other agencies to get referrals from the same providers or healthcare organizations. That’s why you need to think outside the box. 

There are many tactics you can use to garner more hospice referrals from healthcare professionals and you can even look to patients and families to increase the number of hospice patients you care for.  

In this blog, we will share 4 tips to help you increase the number of hospice referrals you receive. 

Define your agency’s value proposition and highlight your expertise in palliative care 

The first step in getting more hospice referrals from other healthcare providers is to solidify the value proposition of your agency. Your value proposition essentially outlines what you do and how you’re better than the rest. For example, if your organization has an exceptionally high patient and family satisfaction score, this is something you would want to highlight.  
 

After all, if you don’t know what makes you better than other agencies, then how do you expect your referral sources to know?  

Use Data to Identify your best (and new) hospice referral sources 

One of the first ways in which your hospice can use CRM software is to identify new sources of referrals. Hospice referrals usually come from physicians, but they can also come from a number of other sources, including patients themselves.  

But how do you know where to spend your time? If you utilize a CRM system for your sales team, you can quickly understand information like: 

• Which providers or organizations provide me with the most referrals? 
• How do patients and family members find my hospice agency? 
• Are there trends in how/when we receive the most referrals? 

By tracking the number of referrals that come in each month and seeing what percentage of them are accepted, you can identify trends in your referral process and make changes to your marketing, sales, and operational strategies.  

When you have this data to analyze, it is much easier to set a strategic plan to gain more referrals. You will be able to spend your time on the referral sources that are most likely to provide you with new patients. Plus, this can help you identify new sources for referrals, like patient advocacy groups, so you know to focus your marketing efforts on those sources. 

Leverage CRM technology to create and maintain relationships with healthcare providers 

Once you know where to focus your sales and marketing efforts, you can use your CRM technology to create custom outreach campaigns for each of your hospice referral sources. You can use these outreach campaigns to contact other healthcare providers and remind them about the benefits of referring patients to your hospice agency.  

While you can certainly call or email other healthcare providers, the use of CRM technology allows you to create a consistent and personalized outreach campaign. This is particularly important because it helps you to proactively reach out to other healthcare providers without the need to rely on your memory or calendar. By creating and maintaining relationships with other healthcare providers, you can ensure that they always have your agency in mind when they’re looking to refer patients to hospice programs.  

Provide educational resources regarding hospice care 

Another great way to get more referrals from other healthcare providers, and from patients or families themselves, is to offer educational resources related to hospice care. Creating and providing educational content helps your agency be seen as a trusted hospice provider. 

You can create pamphlets, brochures, and posters to be displayed in public areas such as hospitals, pharmacies, and health centers. You can also create online content in the form of blogs, infographics, and other types of social media content. The key is to use whatever tools are at your disposal to raise awareness about hospice care and your hospice agency. Doing so will help to increase the number of referrals your agency receives. 

Check out this guide, it’s a great example! 

It’s important to establish your agency as an educational resource for hospice care. You can do so by proactively educating other healthcare providers about the benefits of hospice care. This can be done through educational seminars, one-on-one meetings with staff, or even through digital resources such as newsletters and blogs. Doing this will allow you to reach more people while also establishing your hospice agency as a go-to resource.  

Additionally, a great place to connect with patients and family members is through social media forums. You can join forums that are relevant to the services you provide and share digital pamphlets or other helpful (non-sales) information on these channels. This not only helps to correct any misconceptions patients may have about hospice care, but it will also provide them with valuable insight as they navigate through the complex world of end-of-life care.  

Conclusion 

Hospice referrals are incredibly important to the success of any hospice agency. Whether you want to optimize your referral processes or you’re looking to increase your overall productivity, implementing a CRM solution is a great place to start to help you increase the number of referrals you receive. 

Are you ready to look for a CRM solution that meets your needs? Our HIPAA-compliant team works with various leading CRM solutions and we know how to help organizations select the correct technology for their needs. Check out our Faye for Healthcare page for more information.