How to Get More Referrals for Home Health Care

Why Referral Systems Matter in Home Health Care

In the home health industry, referrals often determine whether an agency grows, stagnates, or declines. A study by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) shows that over 70% of patients choose providers recommended by discharge planners or family physicians. Yet, most agencies don’t control how or when these referrals happen. Without a dependable system, agencies are left vulnerable to staffing changes, shifting hospital partnerships, and inconsistent outreach.

Building a reliable referral system means reducing randomness and creating multiple entry points where families, professionals, and community leaders can easily refer to your agency with confidence. It also means being visible when those decision-makers are actively looking.

The Limitations of Traditional Referral Sources

Traditional referral sources like skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), hospitals, and physician offices can be valuable, but they have limits:

• High competition: Many agencies compete for attention from the same case managers.

• Lack of visibility: If you’re not top-of-mind, your agency doesn’t get mentioned.

• Shifting partnerships: Hospitals may enter exclusive agreements that shut out smaller providers.

• Staff turnover: A contact you've nurtured for months may leave without notice.

Even agencies that once thrived on these relationships find themselves at a disadvantage when policies or people change. Diversifying referral sources beyond these environments is essential.

Establishing Digital Visibility to Attract Referrals

Today’s referral process often starts online. Discharge planners, family members, and even healthcare professionals use search engines to vet agencies or confirm contact details. If your digital presence is limited, you risk being overlooked - or worse invisible.

Here’s what makes your agency more referral-ready online:

• A fully completed Google Business Profile, updated with services, service areas, and photos.

• A website with clear service pages for skilled nursing, physical therapy, personal care, and companion care.

• Testimonials and Google reviews that validate your service quality.

• A mobile-friendly experience and fast load times.

According to Pew Research, 93% of U.S. adults use the internet, including caregivers. Being findable and credible online directly supports your referral volume.

How to Optimize Your Local SEO for Referral Traffic

Local search engine optimization (SEO) ensures that your agency shows up when someone searches for “home health care in [your city].” The goal isn’t just general visibility — it’s relevance when someone is looking to make a decision.

To improve your local SEO:

• Create location-based service pages (e.g., “Home Health Care in Duluth, GA”)

• Use structured data markup (schema) to help Google understand your services

• List your agency in high-authority directories like Care.com, AgingCare, and CMS.gov

• Build backlinks from community partners, healthcare blogs, and local media

For a deeper dive, Roxford Digital's SEO Guide offers detailed instructions on best practices for agencies.

Creating High-Value Outreach Materials

Referral partners don’t have time to ask what you do. You need materials that answer that question for them — clearly and quickly.

What works:

• One-page referral guides that outline your services, hours, areas covered, and how to refer

• Branded folders or digital packets for discharge planners and social workers

• Co-branded handouts for partners like pharmacies, clinics, or senior centers

• Quick referral forms or landing pages on your website with HIPAA-compliant intake options

These tools help position your agency as organized, responsive, and easy to work with.

Leveraging Community Organizations and Non-Medical Referrals

Not all valuable referrals come from medical facilities. Churches, senior living communities, support groups, and even barbershops often interact with seniors or caregivers before any hospital visit occurs. Building community-based referral networks is an untapped opportunity for many agencies.

Strategies include:

• Hosting free wellness checks or lunch-and-learns at community centers

• Providing printable resources for local nonprofits and advocacy groups

• Collaborating with religious organizations to distribute caregiving education

• Joining senior-focused Facebook groups and engaging as a helpful voice

The U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) offers a resource directory of aging networks that can serve as valuable referral pipelines.

Training Staff to Recognize and Facilitate Referral Opportunities

Your caregivers, schedulers, and intake staff interact with families daily. They’re in a perfect position to surface new referral opportunities — if they’re trained to do so.

What to implement:

• Referral training during onboarding and continuing education

• Conversation prompts to identify when families need additional services

• Business cards with QR codes leading to your referral page

• Recognition programs for staff who contribute to new business

This internal culture shift turns your workforce into your most consistent referral engine.

Using Structured Systems Like The Accelerator

Agencies that generate referrals consistently do it with systems — not chance. The Accelerator provides the infrastructure to help you:

• Identify local keyword opportunities that referral sources use

• Create SEO-friendly service pages and landing pages

• Launch outreach campaigns that highlight your agency to community partners

• Build referral flows that align with your compliance and intake processes

This “done with you” approach helps agencies scale smarter, faster, and more efficiently — especially when paired with a clear referral growth plan.

Referral Growth for Home Health Agencies

Referral growth isn’t just about relationships — it’s about readiness. When your agency is easy to find, easy to recommend, and easy to trust, referrals become consistent.

By combining digital visibility, internal alignment, and intentional outreach, you reduce dependency on a single source and build a predictable growth engine.

To get more referrals for home health care, build systems — not hope. And do it in a way that ensures your agency becomes the first option, not the fallback.

To your success,

Roxford Digital