How Health Link Increased Home Health Admissions by 22% with ReferraLynx
This case study examines how Health Link Home Health and Hospice, a leading home healthcare provider in San Francisco, significantly improved its referral management process by adopting ReferraLynx, the industry’s first software built explicitly for referral optimization.
Rather than tracking traditional sales metrics, ReferraLynx enhances visibility, collaboration, and efficiency throughout the referral pipeline, directly aligning with how home health providers generate revenue. This analysis explores how Health Link addressed and overcame key operational challenges in intake by combining insights from direct interviews with ReferraLynx leadership, quantitative referral analytics data, and real-world observations. Specifically, the study uncovers how adopting a referral-centric CRM revealed hidden inefficiencies, substantially increased patient admission rates, and enabled Health Link’s management team to shift from reactive troubleshooting to proactive decision-making.
Research Goals
- Define & Document Intake Challenges: Identify Health Link’s primary intake challenges before using ReferraLynx.
- Understand the ReferraLynx Solution: Explore how ReferraLynx’s unique referral management software directly resolved those challenges.
- Measure Quantitative & Qualitative Impact: Determine how ReferraLynx affected Health Link’s admission rates, operational efficiency, and business growth.
Key Insight: This case study provides valuable information for home health agencies seeking to enhance their referral intake processes, accurately measure operational performance, and strategically position for sustainable growth.
Company Overview
Health Link Home Health and Hospice
- Established: 2005
- Location: San Francisco Bay Area
- Employees: ~150 skilled healthcare professionals
- Daily Referrals: Hundreds across two busy branch locations
- Focus: Compassionate, patient-centered care and close collaboration among intake, community relations, and medical staff
Before adopting ReferraLynx, Health Link’s referral management relied on spreadsheets, Allscripts (Careport), Navihealth, Aida, and faxes—a fragmented workflow that required extensive manual coordination and created inefficiencies and frustrations across teams.
Operational Context
- Manual Spreadsheet: Used to track referral progress; intake had editing access, community relations had view-only.
- Monthly Spreadsheet Pruning: Led to cumbersome archiving, with limited historical tracking or real-time accountability.
- Incomplete Referrals: Missing critical info (doctor’s orders, diagnosis docs, medication lists) caused heavy reliance on HIPAA-compliant messaging apps, slowing processing.
- Visibility Challenge: Health Link assumed an admission rate of ~75% (used to structure employee bonuses), but once ReferraLynx was implemented, the accurate baseline was 58%—a 17% discrepancy.
The Problem
Fragmented Referral Management
Managed hundreds of daily referrals across multiple tools. Disconnected systems caused errors, duplicate efforts, and complexity.
Missing Critical Information
Referrals arrived incomplete, missing doctor’s orders, patient histories, or medications. Intake staff spent significant time manually coordinating with community relations.
High Switching Tax
Staff constantly switched between spreadsheets, EMRs, messaging apps, and paper notes. This inefficiency reduced capacity to progress referrals.
Limited Visibility & Poor Prioritization
Management lacked a unified view of referral statuses. This led to missed follow-ups, stalled referrals, and inaccurate data—they believed admissions were at 75%, but actual rates were closer to 60%.
“We thought our admissions rate was 75%, but after two months using the software, we discovered it was actually 60%. Imagine if that was your bottom line—being off by 15 percentage points is huge.” — Tanya, DPCS
The Solution: ReferraLynx
Health Link replaced its disjointed referral process by implementing ReferraLynx, a referral-management software designed specifically for home health providers. Intake staff now manage referrals through a centralized, visual pipeline that mirrors their established workflow—significantly streamlining operations.
Key Elements of Implementation
“Without calling or texting—without any manual communication—we can asynchronously be looking at the same information. Managers assign a task directly within the referral, and the salesperson immediately knows what needs to be done.”
— Laura, Director of Community Relations
Real-Time Visibility
“It’s Peter Drucker 101—what gets measured gets managed. Once you start tracking and logging activities consistently, you immediately know whether you're doing a good job or not.” — Austin Degenhardt, COO, ReferraLynx
Direct Collaboration
Intake and community relations teams collaborate inside the referral record. Tasks, notes, and notifications are automatically tracked. No more manual follow-ups or reliance on separate messaging apps.
Visual Pipeline
A clear, stage-based pipeline (e.g., “Pending Missing Info,” “Scheduled,” “Start of Care Scheduled”) replaces spreadsheets. Intake sees referral statuses at a glance and knows which actions to prioritize.
Automated Notifications & Tasks
Whenever a referral advances or needs info, relevant team members are immediately notified. This reduces delays, ensures accountability, and keeps referrals from falling through the cracks.
Analytics Dashboard
Managers gain real-time insight into admission rates, staff activities, referral sources, and more. This data-driven approach informs faster, more strategic decisions around resource allocation, staffing, and bonus structures.
“We were already a top three agency in the Bay Area before ReferraLynx. The software didn’t automate management; it gave us better tools to manage and coach our team. Game changer.” — Dima, Executive Director
Quantitative Results
- Admission Rates: Increased by 22 percentage points—from ~60% to 82%—within less than a year of ReferraLynx adoption.
- Daily Intake Processing Time: 30 minutes saved daily through automated task assignments and reduced manual follow-ups.
- Accurate Referral Data: Health Link now has a clean, filterable database of referral sources, sorted by insurance type and activity status, which enables better negotiation of insurance contracts and more targeted outreach.
Qualitative Results
- Rapid User Adoption: The intake team transitioned from spreadsheets within two weeks, thanks to the intuitive interface and obvious workflow benefits.
- Increased Preparedness in Community Relations: Having real-time data at their fingertips, the sales/marketing team felt more confident during meetings with referral sources.
- Improved Management Visibility & Responsiveness: The analytics dashboard exposed staff activities and referral progression in real time, allowing managers to spot bottlenecks and act proactively.
- Enhanced Professionalism & Service Perception: Referral sources experienced a more seamless, responsive intake process—elevating Health Link’s reputation as a preferred provider.
Key Takeaways
Adopting a Referral-Specific CRM
With clear visualization of referral stages, agencies reduce manual tasks and eliminate confusion around status.
Centralized Collaboration
Bringing intake and community relations into one platform ensures more effective communication, higher referral capture, and improved patient outcomes.
Real-Time Analytics
Accurate, up-to-the-minute reporting enables management to make data-driven decisions, improving both accountability and strategic growth.
Significant Operational Gains
Health Link’s 22% increase in admissions and streamlined workflow underscore the ROI of purpose-built referral management software.
Conclusion
By adopting ReferraLynx, Health Link eliminated fragmented processes and embraced a visual, data-driven approach to referral management. The results speak for themselves:
- Admissions improved by over 20 percentage points.
- Staff saved time and frustration with consolidated workflows.
- Executives gained transparent, actionable insights to guide growth decisions.
ReferraLynx stands as a proven, referral-centric CRM that empowers home health agencies to optimize referral management, improve patient admissions, and achieve sustainable business growth.
Contact Information
For more information about ReferraLynx, or to discuss how a referral-management CRM could benefit your home health agency:
Website: www.referralynx.com
Email: austin@referralynx.com
