Referral Management Global Market Report 2025

Referral management involves the systematic process of transitioning patients to the next level of care, particularly during critical situations such as an escalation in care needs or a change in diagnosis. This practice is employed in health systems to mitigate patient leakage, enhance care coordination, and ensure that patients receive the necessary care.

The main types of referral management are self-referral, professional-referral, and third-party-referral. Self-referral management encompasses services for issues such as drug and alcohol problems, antenatal care, and improved access to psychological therapy. Professional-referral involves physicians ordering imaging tests that are conducted at a facility they own or lease. Various components, including software and services, contribute to the efficacy of referral management, and these are delivered through modes such as web-based, cloud-based, and on-premise delivery. Referral management is utilized by providers, payers, and other end-users within the healthcare system.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report's Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

The sharp rise in U.S. tariffs and the resulting trade tensions in spring 2025 are having a significant impact on the healthcare sector, especially in the supply of essential medical devices, diagnostic equipment, and pharmaceuticals. Hospitals and healthcare providers are grappling with higher costs for imported surgical tools, imaging systems, and consumables like syringes and catheters, many of which have limited domestic substitutes. These escalating expenses are putting pressure on healthcare budgets, prompting some providers to delay equipment upgrades or pass increased costs on to patients. Furthermore, tariffs on raw materials and components are disrupting the manufacturing of vital drugs and devices, leading to supply chain delays. In response, the industry is adopting diversified sourcing strategies, expanding local production where feasible, and pushing for tariff exemptions on critical medical products.

The referral management market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides referral management market statistics, including referral management industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a referral management market share, detailed referral management market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the referral management industry. This referral management market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry.

The referral management market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $4.81 billion in 2024 to $5.67 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.0%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to growth in healthcare services and patient referrals, demand for coordinated care and specialist access, expansion of electronic health records and data sharing, development of referral management software, regulatory standards for patient data privacy.

The referral management market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $10.73 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.3%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to customized referral management solutions for specific healthcare organizations, integration of ai and predictive analytics in referrals, sustainable and eco-friendly referral management practices, expansion in digital health and remote monitoring, adoption of referral management in population health. Major trends in the forecast period include regulatory compliance in patient data security and referral processes, smart and automated referral management solutions, personalized referral pathways for specific patient needs, transparency in referral networks and patient outcomes, integration of ai for real-time referral optimization.

The forecast of 17.3% growth over the next five years reflects a slight reduction of 0.2% from the previous projection. This reduction is primarily due to the impact of tariffs between the US and other countries. Tariff escalations are likely to burden U.S. health systems by driving up costs of interoperable referral coordination software platforms sourced from India and Poland, exacerbating care fragmentation and raising administrative overhead expenses. The effect will also be felt more widely due to reciprocal tariffs and the negative effect on the global economy and trade due to increased trade tensions and restrictions.

Government initiatives to integrate IT solutions into healthcare systems are expected to drive the growth of the referral management market. Government initiatives refer to actions or policies implemented by the government, aimed at addressing public issues. Information technology plays a crucial role in the healthcare industry by facilitating the delivery of more accurate, actionable, and accessible patient health information. For example, in May 2024, Saudi Arabia officially launched the Medical Referral Centre Unified Platform, a major advancement in the country's healthcare system aimed at improving the management of medical referrals. This platform is part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 program, which seeks to enhance the quality and accessibility of healthcare services across the Kingdom. The initiative is designed to streamline healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes.

The growth of the referral management market is also expected to be fueled by the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are long-term health conditions that progress slowly and persist over an extended period. Referral management systems and solutions are crucial in streamlining the referral process, ensuring that patients with chronic conditions receive timely and appropriate care from specialists and other healthcare providers. According to the National Library of Medicine, the number of people in the US aged 50 and older with at least one chronic condition is projected to reach 142.66 million by 2050. Hence, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases is a key factor driving the growth of the referral management market.

Major companies operating in the referral management market are developing innovative solutions, such as the Enterprise Referral Manager. This software centralizes referrals and integrates referral data into Electronic Health Records (EHR) to enhance the referral process. For instance, WellSky, a US-based healthcare technology company, introduced the Enterprise Referral Manager in October 2023. This solution transforms referral, intake, and customer relationship management processes for home health, hospice, and other home-based care agencies by streamlining workflows and accelerating patient care initiation.

The strategic partnerships are becoming increasingly prevalent among major companies in the referral management market as a means of developing innovative solutions. Strategic partnerships involve companies leveraging each other's strengths and resources for mutual benefits. For example, in March 2023, the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) collaborated with ReferralPoint, a US-based provider of referral management solutions. This partnership aims to help providers lower network costs and leakage, enhance efficiency, and improve patient satisfaction, offering opportunities for optimizing fee-for-service and value-based care efforts.

In April 2024, ABOUT Healthcare Inc., a US-based software development company, acquired Edgility for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition enhances ABOUT Healthcare's care orchestration technology by incorporating AI-driven analytics, creating a more advanced patient flow model. The improved technology aids in decision-making, optimizes patient management, and streamlines processes such as admissions, discharges, and care transitions, enabling healthcare providers to operate more efficiently. Edgility is a US-based healthcare technology company that specializes in providing a patient referral management platform.

Major companies operating in the referral management market include Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., CarePort Health Inc., The Advisory Board Company, eHealth Technologies Inc., Kyruus Inc., Arcadia Data Inc., Dental Care Links LLC, McKesson Corporation, ReferralMD Inc., Keet Health Inc., Change Healthcare Holdings Inc., Conifer Health Solutions LLC, Fibroblast Inc., athenahealth Inc., Cerner Corporation, Eceptionist Inc., InSync Healthcare Solutions LLC, AristaMD Inc., HealthLinkNow Inc., Healthgrades Operating Company Inc., HealthTap Inc., Innovaccer Inc., InteliChart Inc., Luma Health Inc., Medici Technologies Inc., Medtronic plc, MyHealthDirect Inc., NextGen Healthcare Inc., Nudge Inc., PatientPop Inc., Phynd Technologies Inc., Qventus Inc., Radix Health Inc., Relatient Inc., SaaS Healthcare Inc., Salesforce.com Inc., SCI Solutions Inc., SimpleVisit Inc., Solutionreach Inc., Teladoc Health Inc., TigerConnect Inc., Updox LLC, VSee Lab Inc., WellSky Corporation, Zocdoc Inc.

North America was the largest region in the referral management market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the referral management market share during the forecast period. The regions covered in the referral management market analysis report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, and Africa.

The countries covered in the referral management market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA.

The referral management market includes revenues earned by interval referral, split referral, collateral referral, and cross-referral. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

Referral Management Global Market Report 2025 from The Business Research Company provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the market.

This report focuses on referral management market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the trends which will be shaping the market over the next ten years and beyond.

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Where is the largest and fastest growing market for referral management ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward, including technological disruption, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer preferences? The referral management market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.

The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography.

• The market characteristics section of the report defines and explains the market.
• The market size section gives the market size ($b) covering both the historic growth of the market, and forecasting its development.
• The forecasts are made after considering the major factors currently impacting the market. These include:

The forecasts are made after considering the major factors currently impacting the market. These include the technological advancements such as AI and automation, Russia-Ukraine war, trade tariffs (government-imposed import/export duties), elevated inflation and interest rates.

• Market segmentations break down the market into sub markets.
• The regional and country breakdowns section gives an analysis of the market in each geography and the size of the market by geography and compares their historic and forecast growth.
• The competitive landscape chapter gives a description of the competitive nature of the market, market shares, and a description of the leading companies. Key financial deals which have shaped the market in recent years are identified.
• The trends and strategies section analyses the shape of the market as it emerges from the crisis and suggests how companies can grow as the market recovers.

Scope

• Markets Covered:1) By Type: Self-Referral; Professional-Referral; Third Party-Referral
• 2) By Component: Software; Services
• 3) By Delivery Mode: Web-Based Delivery Mode; Cloud-Based Delivery Mode; On-Premise Delivery Mode
• 4) By End User: Provider; Payer; Other End Users
• Subsegments:
• 1) By Self-Referral: Direct Patient Self-Referral; Online Self-Referral Platforms; Patient Initiated Referrals via Portals
• 2) By Professional-Referral: Physician-to-Physician Referrals; Specialist Referrals; Collaborative Care Referrals
• 3) By Third Party-Referral: Insurance-Based Referrals; Managed Care Referrals; Referral Services
• Companies Mentioned: Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc.; CarePort Health Inc.; The Advisory Board Company; eHealth Technologies Inc.; Kyruus Inc.; Arcadia Data Inc.; Dental Care Links LLC; McKesson Corporation; ReferralMD Inc.; Keet Health Inc.; Change Healthcare Holdings Inc.; Conifer Health Solutions LLC; Fibroblast Inc.; athenahealth Inc.; Cerner Corporation; Eceptionist Inc.; InSync Healthcare Solutions LLC; AristaMD Inc.; HealthLinkNow Inc.; Healthgrades Operating Company Inc.; HealthTap Inc.; Innovaccer Inc.; InteliChart Inc.; Luma Health Inc.; Medici Technologies Inc.; Medtronic plc; MyHealthDirect Inc.; NextGen Healthcare Inc.; Nudge Inc.; PatientPop Inc.; Phynd Technologies Inc.; Qventus Inc.; Radix Health Inc.; Relatient Inc.; SaaS Healthcare Inc.; Salesforce.com Inc.; SCI Solutions Inc.; SimpleVisit Inc.; Solutionreach Inc.; Teladoc Health Inc.; TigerConnect Inc.; Updox LLC; VSee Lab Inc.; WellSky Corporation; Zocdoc Inc.
• Countries: Australia; Brazil; China; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Japan; Russia; South Korea; UK; USA; Canada; Italy; Spain.
• Regions: Asia-Pacific; Western Europe; Eastern Europe; North America; South America; Middle East; Africa
• Time Series: Five years historic and ten years forecast.
• Data: Ratios of market size and growth to related markets, GDP proportions, expenditure per capita,
• Data Segmentations: country and regional historic and forecast data, market share of competitors, market segments.
• Sourcing and Referencing: Data and analysis throughout the report is sourced using end notes.
• Delivery Format: PDF, Word and Excel Data Dashboard.