Intake and Referral Management

The Referral Came In. Did It Get Followed Up Before the Case Manager Called Someone Else?

Jackie's referrals come in by phone, fax, and text. Some go to Keisha. Some go straight to Jackie's cell. Some fall into email threads that nobody has time to follow up before the referring case manager has moved on. Denise has the same problem at three times the volume. Tasha, who is building her referral relationships right now: your first five referrals will determine how the next fifty go.

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What Unmanaged Intake Costs

A Referral That Doesn't Convert Is a Patient Someone Else Is Serving.

Referral conversion is the top of the revenue funnel for every Medicaid home care agency. Jackie knows her conversion rate is lower than it should be — she just doesn't have time to follow up systematically when she's also doing scheduling and billing and compliance. Denise knows her case manager relationships aren't as strong as they could be because intake follow-through is inconsistent. For Tasha, who is building those relationships from zero: the agencies that case managers refer to consistently are the ones that respond quickly, complete intake accurately, and make the enrollment process easy for everyone involved.

How CareBravo Delivers It

Every Referral Tracked. Every Step Managed. Every Conversion Documented.

CareBravo's intake and referral management function provides CRM tracking through the full pipeline — referral received, initial contact, documentation collection, authorization verification, care plan development, caregiver assignment, and active patient status. EDWP form submission and payer-specific intake documentation are managed within the system. Case manager relationships are tracked with contact history and referral volume by source. No referral falls into an email thread. No follow-up depends on someone remembering to make the call.

What arrives as completed work

CRM tracking of every referral from source through enrollment. EDWP and payer-specific intake documentation managed within the system. Case manager contact history and referral volume tracked by source. No referral falls through to an unanswered email.

What your team does instead

Review the pipeline. Follow up on referrals flagged as requiring clinical decision. Build case manager relationships knowing the administrative intake process is handled. Focus on census growth rather than intake administration.

What connects to this function

Intake connects to authorization management — the authorization setup for a new patient begins during intake, ensuring care can start as soon as enrollment is complete. Intake connects to scheduling — caregiver assignment for a new patient is part of the intake-to-active transition.

What this looks like at your stage

At 30 patients: Jackie knows her conversion rate isn't what it should be, but she doesn't have time for systematic follow-up. At 90 patients: Denise's intake volume is high enough that a dedicated intake process is necessary — but not high enough to justify a dedicated intake coordinator. Pre-launch: Tasha is building her first referral relationships right now. The agencies that case managers call back are the ones that respond to referrals quickly and make the intake process easy.

100+ agencies. 73% average revenue growth. No added back-office hires. Referral conversion is the top of the revenue funnel. Intake management as completed work means every referral is tracked, followed up, and either converted or closed — without it depending on whoever happens to answer the phone.

Questions

What Agency Owners Ask About Intake and Referral Management

Medicaid home care agencies receive referrals from multiple sources — hospital discharge planners, primary care physicians, Medicaid MCO case managers, state Medicaid waiver programs, social workers, and self-referrals from patients or families who qualify for Medicaid home care. Building and maintaining referral relationships requires consistent outreach to case managers and discharge planners, prompt response to referrals received, and a structured intake process that converts referrals to enrolled patients quickly.

EDWP — the Elder and Disability Waiver Program — is a Medicaid waiver program in Georgia that provides home and community-based services to elderly and disabled individuals who would otherwise require nursing facility placement. Home care agencies serving EDWP patients must complete specific intake documentation and form submission requirements as part of enrollment. Agencies that manage EDWP intake efficiently convert more referrals to enrolled patients and maintain stronger relationships with case managers who make referral decisions.

Home care patient intake involves collecting the patient's Medicaid information, verifying authorization, completing the required intake paperwork and assessment, coordinating with the referring case manager or physician, and transitioning the patient from referred to active status in the agency's scheduling and billing systems. The intake process connects directly to authorization setup, care plan development, and caregiver assignment. Delays or errors in intake delay the start of billable services.

In Medicaid home care, a case manager is typically a professional employed by a Managed Care Organization (MCO) or the state Medicaid agency who coordinates care for Medicaid members, including authorizing home care services, reviewing care plans, and monitoring patient progress. Case managers are primary referral sources for home care agencies — a strong relationship with case managers at the MCOs in an agency's service area directly affects referral volume.

Effective referral tracking requires a CRM system that records each referral source, the date received, the current status in the intake process, and the outcome. Most small agencies track referrals manually — in spreadsheets, email folders, or paper intake logs — which makes it difficult to identify which referral sources are most productive, which intake steps are causing delays, and how many referrals are being lost before conversion. CareBravo's intake management function provides CRM tracking through the full referral-to-enrollment pipeline.

See Your Referral Pipeline Running — Without a Dedicated Intake Coordinator.

The first call shows what intake management looks like as completed work for your agency — every referral tracked, every step managed, every case manager relationship maintained without adding headcount to support it.

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How intake connects to billing setup → How intake connects to authorization tracking → Building your referral foundation from Day 1 → How all nine functions connect →