📝 Overview
Setting up referral sources is critical for tracking where your new patients originate, such as social media ads, patient referrals, or external events. Properly managing referral sources in the system allows you to evaluate marketing effectiveness and strategically plan future initiatives.
Setting Up Referral Sources
Navigate to your System Dashboard.
Click System Settings.
Select Referral Sources.
Create a New Referral Source
Click Create New Referral Source
Enter the Name (e.g., Yoga Event)
Choose a Category:
Internal: Referrals from existing patients or employees
External: Community events, health talks, etc.
Digital: Facebook, Instagram, Google
Unknown: If not specified
Optionally, select Referral Source Type:
Patient Referral
Walk-in
Click Submit
Managing Referral Sources
Merge Duplicates:
If duplicates are created by mistake, use the Merge Duplicates feature to combine them.
Deactivate Referral Sources
Click on the referral source
Select Deactivate
Click Show Inactive to view deactivated sources
Note: Referral sources tied to a patient’s history cannot be deleted, only inactivated.
Mandatory Referral Source Selection
To require referral source entry when scheduling new patients:
Navigage to your System Dashboard > System Settings > System Configuration
Toggle Referral Type Required to ON
When enabled, a referral source must be entered to complete a new patient appointment.
The Referral Source field becomes required (highlighted in blue) and the appointment cannot be saved without filling this field.
Allow Locations to Create Their Own Referral Sources
To give individual locations permission to manage their own referral sources:
Navigate to System Dashboard < System Settings < System Configuration < Toggle Org Controls Referrals to OFF
The location can manage their own referral sources by navigating to the following:
Live Location > Settings > Initial Setup > Referral Sources
Here, locations can:
View system-level referral sources.
Create their own location-specific sources.
Tracking Referral Source Data
Navigate to your Live Location > Reporting > Simple Reporting > Statistics
Under Marketing Analysis, view how many new patients came from each referral source.
This report:
The report shows the number of new patients associated with each referral source.
Displays new patients with valid charges on a patients ledger (not just appointments).
Tracks based on date range and income generated.
Ensure that new patient charges are configured in System Settings for accurate financial analysis (System Dashboard > System Settings > System Configuration > Tracking and Reporting).
Real-Life Example
Create a referral source called “Yoga Event”.
Add a new patient and assign the Yoga Event as their referral source.
Post a valid new patient charge to their ledger.
Navigate back to Statistics to view the update.
You’ll now see a new row for "Yoga Event" reflecting the patient’s entry and associated revenue.
✅ Key Takeaways
Referral sources help you understand where new patients are coming from.
You can create, deactivate, and merge sources from the System Dashboard.
Referral source selection can be required when scheduling.
Reporting tools show referral source effectiveness based on charges, not appointments.
Locations can manage their own referral sources if permissions are enabled.
📌 Conclusion
By setting up and tracking referral sources, you ensure comprehensive visibility into what's driving new patient growth. This empowers your clinic to refine marketing strategies, build stronger referral networks, and ultimately maximize your patient acquisition success.