Home health agencies rarely lack referral partners — most have several on file. What’s harder to find is a way to know, with any confidence, whether one is actually working. “It’s fine” isn’t a metric. Here’s a scorecard that is.
Why “It’s Fine” Isn’t a Good Enough Answer
The risk of flying blind on partner performance includes referral leakage, inconsistent coverage, and damage to the agency’s reputation with referral sources.
The 5-Metric Scorecard
- Referral response time — industry benchmarks generally point to acknowledgment within two hours of receipt.
- Time-to-start-of-care — 24–48 hours is a common industry marker of a partner keeping pace.
- Communication consistency — predictable documentation, scheduling, and status updates.
- Clinician fit and retention — same clinicians returning for repeat referrals, or a different name every time?
- Coverage reliability — does the partner cover gaps such as PTO, discharges, and reassessments without the agency scrambling?
What Good Actually Looks Like
Each metric above should be evaluated against the listed benchmarks as general industry guidance, not a FeldCare guarantee.
A Quick Self-Audit for Agency Leaders
- How quickly are new referrals acknowledged?
- How long does it typically take for care to begin?
- Are scheduling and status updates consistent?
- Are the same qualified clinicians returning for repeat referrals?
- Can your partner reliably cover PTO, discharges, reassessments, and other gaps?
How FeldCare Connects Supports This
FeldCare Connects supports home health agencies through a contracted therapy referral model: a qualified clinician network of PT, OT, SLP, PTA, COTA, and RD professionals, coordinated through a Cliniconnects-enabled workflow built around the metrics above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as a staffing agency?
No. FeldCare Connects is a contracted therapy referral partner, not a staffing agency; the distinction is in how referrals are matched and supported, not just filled.
Contact FeldCare Connects to discuss your agency’s therapy referral needs.
Email Info@feldcareconnects.com or visit feldcareconnects.com.
