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How Hospice Liaisons Ask Referral Sources for Referrals
To ask for hospice referrals, lead with what you can do for the source's patients and staff. Don't lead with a request for patients. Introduce yourself with one real way to help, like a same-day response, a short class for staff or a family meeting. Make it easy to reach you, and keep showing up. Referrals follow trust built over many small, useful contacts.
Doctors, case managers and facility staff refer to people they trust to show up for families at a hard time. They are busy and hear from many agencies. They remember who made their day easier. Every message you send either adds to that trust or spends it.
What makes it land is being useful and specific. Offer something they need, like a class for nurses or a direct line for urgent questions. Keep messages short. Respect their time and their compliance rules. Never put patient details in a text or ordinary email.
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Free, no signup. The example is filled in: press the button, then replace it with your own situation. In Capstone, a message like it is written for each person you know when their check-in is due.
10 examples to copy
One message is easy. Hundreds of people, all year, is the hard part. Capstone Outreach puts everyone you know on a rhythm you pick, from weekly to every three months. When someone is due, a message like these is already written in your voice from your history with them. You approve it, and it goes from your own email or phone. See how it works.
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Everyone on a rhythm. Who is due, and when. Recorded in the app on a demo account.
1. First introduction to a physician's office manager (email)
Subject: Hospice support for [Practice name] patients
Why it works: It offers real help and a small, easy meeting. It does not ask for patients on day one.
2. Hospital case manager after a discharge planning meeting (email)
Subject: Following up from [unit] rounds
Why it works: Responding to a pain point you really saw shows you listened. It makes you a partner.
3. Offering an in-service to a skilled nursing facility (email)
Subject: Education session for your nursing staff
Why it works: Teaching is a real service to staff. It lets them see how you work before they ever refer.
4. Quick text to a case manager you know well (text)
Why it works: Being nearby and free makes it easy to say yes. It adds no pressure.
5. Thank you after a referral, no patient details (email)
Subject: Thank you
Why it works: It thanks the source sincerely and keeps patient facts out of email. It also invites honest feedback.
6. Assisted living executive director, relationship building (email)
Subject: Supporting your residents and families
Why it works: Framing hospice around residents staying in their home speaks to what the director cares about most.
7. Physician who used to refer and has gone quiet (email)
Subject: Checking how we're doing for you
Why it works: Asking for feedback, not referrals, brings any service problem to light. It also shows humility.
8. After a service problem you need to repair (email)
Subject: Following up on [date]
Why it works: Owning a problem plainly and naming the fix rebuilds trust. It works faster than any thank-you visit.
9. Following up after a lunch-and-learn or meeting (text)
Why it works: Delivering what you promised, fast, is the clearest sign you'll be reliable with families too.
10. Asking a trusted referral source for an introduction to a colleague (email)
Subject: Would you introduce me to [Colleague name]?
Why it works: A warm intro from a respected peer opens doors that cold visits rarely do.
Sending these to more than a few people? See how people keep track of who to follow up with, and when: what a personal CRM does and the best personal CRMs, compared.
When to send it
- Send an intro email before your first visit. Then your name is familiar when you walk in.
- Follow up within one business day after any meeting, in-service or lunch-and-learn, while the talk is fresh.
- Reach doctors' offices mid-morning on weekdays. Avoid shift change times for facility nursing staff.
- Stay in touch with each active referral source about once a month. Bring something useful each time, not only a request.
- Close the loop within a day or two after every referral. Use your agency's approved, secure method for anything about a patient.
Subject lines
- Hospice support for [Practice name] patients
- A direct line for your team
- Following up from [unit] rounds
- Education session for your nursing staff
- Supporting your residents and families
- Thank you
- Checking how we're doing for you
- Following up on [date]
- The guide I mentioned
- Would you introduce me to [Colleague name]?
- Ten minutes with your staff?
- Family information sessions at [Community name]
- Your questions about our admissions process
What to avoid
- Don't open with a request for patients. Open with how you can help their patients and staff.
- Don't put patient names or health details in texts or ordinary email. Use your agency's approved secure channels.
- Don't offer gifts, meals or anything of value tied to referrals without clearing it with compliance first.
- Don't criticize other hospices or agencies a referral source already works with.
- Don't make promises about care, eligibility or outcomes that your clinical team hasn't confirmed.
- Don't drop in unannounced at busy times like shift change or clinic rush hours.
After you send it
If you hear nothing, follow up once after a week with something useful. Try a resource for their staff or an offer to visit at a better time. After that, stay in steady contact about once a month. That could be a class, a quick visit or a thank-you after any referral. Track who you talked to, what they cared about and what you promised. Keep every promise. Over months, being the liaison who always answers the phone matters more than any one message.
Building the habit: how to keep in touch with contacts and what a personal CRM does.
How do you stay in front of every referral source? Set a rhythm for each doctor, case manager and facility. When one is due, Capstone has an email, a text or a call reminder ready with what to say.
Start 14 days free, then $25/mo
A study of 20 million LinkedIn members found that acquaintances, more than close friends, led to new jobs (Science, 2022). Capstone keeps those people warm. You approve every message, and it goes from your own email or phone.
Frequently asked questions
How do hospice liaisons get referrals?
Hospice liaisons get referrals by becoming a trusted, reliable resource over time. They introduce themselves with a real offer and teach staff. They respond fast when called and close the loop after each referral. Most sources choose the liaison they know will show up for families. So being steady matters more than any single pitch.
What should a hospice liaison say to a physician?
Keep it short and practical. Say who you are, what area you cover and one way you can make their job easier. Fast responses or family information visits are good examples. Doctors have little time, so ask for a brief meeting with them or their office manager. Then follow up with just what you promised.
How often should a hospice liaison visit referral sources?
Active referral sources usually call for contact about once a month. Newer ties may need lighter, more frequent touches at first. Each contact should bring something useful, like teaching, a resource or a quick answer. It should not just remind them you exist. Adjust to what each office says it prefers.
Can a hospice liaison bring gifts or food to referral sources?
Check with your compliance team before giving anything of value to a referral source. Health care rules around gifts and referrals are strict. Policies differ by agency and by facility. When in doubt, offer teaching, resources and reliable service instead. These build trust with no risk to you or the source.
How do you follow up after a hospice in-service?
Send a thank-you within one business day. Deliver any materials you promised, and give attendees a direct number to reach you. Send a short note to the person who set it up. Name a question staff raised to show you were listening. Then plan your next useful contact for about a month later.