How Do I Become a Referral Manager?

A referral manager is a medical professional who ensures that patients are authorized to receive special kinds of medical care. In a nursing home, a referral manager interviews potential patients, grants admittance along with allowance for special treatments, and informs staff of all new admittances and practices. A referral manager at a medical office, on the other hand, might check all referrals for medical authorization and insurance coverage if relevant. To become a referral manager, you first need to earn a high school diploma or an equivalent degree. Next, you should decide on the career path you would like to pursue since this can influence which steps you take in your training.

To become a referral manager in some health facilities, all you need to qualify is a high school diploma and some experience helping customers and performing data entry and filing. Referral managers in this context often are not given much responsibility. They might act as front desk workers or receptionists who ensure that all patients have proper authorizations and paperwork.

In most cases, however, to become a referral manager you do need some special training. Many medical offices require that referral managers have been trained to read medical codes and insurance codes. A degree in a field such as health administration might be a good choice for a person who would like to become this kind of referral manager.

In nursing homes and assisted living centers, referral managers tend to be nurses. There are different levels of nursing certification that vary from place to place. To become a physician's assistant, for example, an individual might need only take two years of courses and pass a proficiency exam. Individuals who would like to become fully certified nurses, on the other hand, must take a number of anatomy, physiology, and biology courses before being admitted to nursing programs.

Aside from earning nursing certification, to become a referral manager at a home or clinic, you also should develop your management and marketing skills. In most cases, a referral manager is a leader who orchestrates daily practices and communication. By taking continuing education courses in management, you can learn some helpful management principles.

It is common for a referral manager in this context also to keep relationships with community businesses and health centers. In this sense, a referral manager takes part in determining a facility's public image. He or she also communicates with doctors and other health professionals who refer patients to his or her facility.