Clear Actions to Build Strong Partnerships With Skilled Home Health & Hospice Agencies (and serve clients better while growing referrals)
- Jan 27
- 3 min read
Reposition Your Agency in Your Own Mind First
Action: Stop calling home health and hospice “referral sources” internally.
Train your team to refer to them as care partners
Shift language from:
Why this matters: Your behavior changes when your mindset changes. Partners feel the difference immediately.
Map the Circular Care Ecosystem in Your Market
Action: Create a simple care-loop map for your service area.
Include:
Hospitals
Physicians
Assisted Living / Memory Care
Home Health agencies
Hospice agencies
Your home care agency at the center
Then ask:
Where do patients exit skilled care and fall through gaps?
Where are families overwhelmed between visits?
Why this matters: You can’t position yourself as the “constant” if you don’t understand the full loop.
Identify 5 Strategic Home Health & Hospice Targets
Action: Build a short list — not everyone.
For each agency, identify:
Who the marketer is
Who the clinical decision influencers are
What hospitals or physicians they’re tied to
What types of patients they serve most
Do NOT start by asking for referrals.
Why this matters: Spray-and-pray marketing destroys credibility. Precision builds trust.
Schedule 1:1s With One Goal — Learn Their Gaps
Action: In your 1:1 meetings, ask THESE questions:
For Home Health:
“Where do patients struggle after skilled services discharge?”
“What causes avoidable readmissions?”
“What do you wish families had more support with?”
For Hospice:
“Where do families get overwhelmed between visits?”
“What breaks down the plan of care?”
“What kind of support helps you keep patients comfortable at home?”
Do not pitch. Listen. Take notes.
Why this matters: You can’t be a multiplier if you don’t know what you’re multiplying.
Explicitly Position Your Agency as a Gap-Filler
Action: Clearly articulate how you support THEIR success.
Examples:
“We extend your care plan between visits.”
“We help families follow through on what your clinicians teach.”
“We reduce the risk of rehospitalization by being present daily.”
“We give families relief so they don’t abandon the care plan.”
Why this matters: Partners refer to agencies that protect their outcomes and reputation.
Train Your Team to Spot Transition Moments Early
Action: Educate caregivers and care managers to flag:
Increased doctor or hospital visits
Escalating symptoms
Functional decline
Weight loss, fatigue, confusion
Family burnout or panic
Create a simple internal rule:
“When we see this → we notify our care partner.”
Why this matters: Early referrals = trust. Late referrals = damage control.
Refer Out Without Fear
Action: Normalize referring clients to:
Home health when skilled needs emerge
Hospice when goals shift toward comfort
Stop hoarding clients.
Why this matters: Agencies that protect families over revenue get more revenue long-term.
Host Mutual In-Services (Not Sales Presentations)
Action: Rotate education:
Invite home health or hospice clinicians to train your staff
Offer to train their team on:
Why this matters: Education creates shared language and smoother handoffs.
Co-Market Around Education, Not Services
Action: Co-host:
Caregiver workshops
Community education events
Facility lunch-and-learns
Focus topics on:
Avoiding rehospitalization
Supporting families at home
Navigating care transitions
Why this matters: You grow together — not at each other’s expense.
Systematize the Relationship
Action: Treat partnerships like accounts.
Track:
Who you met
What matters to them
What referrals you sent them
What outcomes you supported
Why this matters: Relationships that aren’t tracked fade. Systems scale trust.
The Bottom Line (The Referral Edge in One Sentence)
When a non-medical home care agency understands where skilled care ends and family reality begins, they stop chasing referrals and start earning indispensability.
That’s when:
Referrals align
Families feel supported
Partners advocate for you
Growth becomes predictable
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