Counting Repeat Referrals
Posted by Mike Ferris on Friday, December 05, 2008 and posted in HospiceAccurate coding and tabulation of repeat referrals varies widely among AdmitRight users, primarily because call centers use a very narrow definition: the caller is referring a patient who was previously
referred but not admitted. So what’s wrong with that? Nothing, other than there are other types of calls which should be coded as repeat referrals:
Visit not scheduled: If a visit is not scheduled on the initial call, any subsequent communication about the potential patient initiated by either the patient/family, professional referral source, or by hospice staff, should be counted as a repeat referral.
Follow-up calls: Therefore, every follow-up call made by hospice staff is a repeat referral, even though the staff is initiating the call.
What’s not counted: If an initial professional referral results in the hospice calling the patient or family to schedule a visit time, then it is not a repeat. Why? Because this is the call center’s first opportunity to schedule a visit with the family.
