5 Ways to Get More Admissions Using Only Your Intake Team

Think you need more reps to drive more admissions? You don’t. You need better plays. And your intake team strategy is already holding the ball.

Too many agencies treat intake like paperwork processors. In the right hands, they’re your frontline revenue team. They’re the ones who can nudge a pending discharge, revive a cold referral source, or make sure your agency is the one case managers think of first.

These five tactics won’t cost you a dime. No new hires. No new systems. Just smarter, sharper work from your team. Each tactic is designed to help your team increase patient admissions without adding complexity.

Let’s get into it.

Turn Discharges Into Future Admissions

Discharge doesn’t mean done. A quick check-in from your intake team a week or two after a patient leaves lays the groundwork for next time.

Most families are overwhelmed when care ends. They still have questions. They may not remember which agency did what. But they will remember who called.

A short, friendly call to see how things are going makes your agency memorable. It shows you care, even when there’s no billable service involved. That’s the kind of goodwill that sticks.

It also plants the seed: if care is needed again, here’s who to call. That moment might be months away, but when it happens, you’ve already earned the next admission. It’s a subtle but powerful way to drive admissions growth.

As a bonus, families who feel supported are more likely to refer friends or leave a positive review.

Pro tip: Don’t overthink it. Write one solid follow-up script and personalize it. Five calls a week from one intake team member equals 260 potential re-admissions or home health referrals a year.

Win the Weekend With End-of-Week Outreach

Fridays are referral chaos. Patients get discharged fast. Families scramble. Case managers are looking for the path of least resistance. Be it.

Have your intake team make Friday morning check-ins a habit. A short email or quick call to local case managers with your weekend coverage, clinical specialties, and available beds can make the difference between getting picked or being forgotten.

Most home health referrals happen under pressure. If your intake team strategy includes showing up with answers before anyone asks, you win.

If you consistently show up when others don’t, your agency becomes the go-to when things get hectic.

Pro tip: Keep it short and valuable. “Hey, just letting you know we’ve got weekend coverage and availability for CHF, COPD, and post-surgical care. Call us directly if you need help placing anyone.” One email like that can land multiple Friday admits and help increase patient admissions when it matters most.

Want to go deeper on how intake drives growth? Check out this guide to unlocking your team’s full potential.

Pending Discharge? Stay In the Loop

A referral pending discharge isn’t a done deal; it’s a race. The agency that follows up wins.

Once a referral comes in, have your intake team track it daily. Call the case manager. Ask if discharge timing has changed. Offer to answer any new questions.

These check-ins show you're reliable, proactive, and easy to work with. You’re not pestering—you’re making their day smoother.

Too many agencies get passive here. They wait, assume, or let referrals age out of the system. That’s how you lose to a competitor who simply followed up.

Pro tip: Create a simple tracking system using a spreadsheet, CRM, or whiteboard. Flag every pending discharge and assign a name to each follow-up. No one falls through the cracks, and you look like the agency that has its act together. It’s a small change to your intake team strategy that can drive measurable admissions growth.

Wake Up Old Accounts Before They Go Cold

Not every quiet account is a lost cause. Some just need a nudge.

Have your intake team run a monthly audit. Identify referral sources that haven’t sent anyone your way in a while. Then reach out. A warm check-in, a quick update on services, or even a “just saying hi” can restart the conversation.

You’re not asking for a referral. You’re reminding them you’re still around, reliable, and easy to work with. That’s often enough.

Most agencies focus on new contacts and forget the old ones. But dormant sources already know your name. Reengaging them is faster and more effective than starting cold.

Pro tip: Use milestones as an excuse. Anniversaries, new service lines, or the start of a new quarter all work. “We were reviewing Q1 data and realized it’s been a minute since we connected. Just wanted to check in and see how things are going on your end.” No pitch. Just presence—and another chance to turn quiet contacts into home health referrals that increase patient admissions.

Fix the Bottlenecks. Admit Faster.

Every agency has referrals sitting in limbo. The discharge date may have changed. Maybe a family stopped responding. Perhaps the case manager moved on.

Instead of letting those pile up, have your intake team review the backlog daily. Ask what’s holding each case up. Then act.

Sometimes it’s as simple as a missing document. Other times, a one follow-up call is all it takes. Either way, you’re reclaiming lost opportunities that most teams never touch.

Referral pipelines clog when no one owns the follow-through. Clear ownership and consistent check-ins keep things moving and improve your admit rate without chasing more leads.

Pro tip: Add a standing backlog review to your intake team’s calendar. Even 30 minutes a week can turn stuck referrals into actual admissions and deliver the kind of operational improvement that fuels real admissions growth.

Your Intake Team Already Has What It Takes

You don’t need to hire more people to get more admissions. You just need better execution.

These five tactics work because they’re simple, repeatable, and built for speed. They keep your agency visible, responsive, and easy to refer to—exactly what case managers and families want.

Train your team to treat every referral like a relationship, not a transaction. That mindset shift will change everything, and it’s the kind of intake team strategy that drives sustainable admissions growth.

Ready to see how top-performing agencies do it? Let’s talk.