Avoidable hospital readmissions cost the U.S. healthcare system billions every year, and providers feel the squeeze. Under value-based care models, improving outcomes while cutting costs is no longer optional.

One of the most overlooked ways to reduce unnecessary ER visits and readmissions?
Closed-loop referrals ensure that patients’ social needs are met after they leave the hospital.

Why Social Needs Drive Readmissions

Clinical care alone isn’t enough.

Patients returning home may face:

• No transportation to follow-up appointments

• No access to nutritious food or medications

• Unsafe or unstable housing

• Social isolation or lack of caregiving suppor
  
  

If these social determinants of health go unaddressed, small problems escalate, leading straight back to the ER or inpatient unit.

That’s where closed-loop referrals become essential.

How Blooming Health Powers Closed-Loop Referrals

Blooming Health is built to help healthcare providers close the loop by connecting patients to social services and confirming they actually get the help they need.

Here’s how it works:

Automated Post-Discharge Engagement
With Blooming Health’s platform, organizations can schedule automatic outreach to patients in their preferred language and communication channel (voice, text, or email), asking if they need help with food, housing, transportation, or prescriptions.

Instant Referral Routing
When a need is flagged, Blooming Health's automated workflows can trigger actions to get the patient connected to a community-based service provider. This is where closed-loop referrals shine: the system doesn’t just push the referral out - it tracks whether the service was delivered.

Real-Time Tracking & Confirmation
Blooming Health gives care teams real-time visibility into referral outcomes, so they can see if the patient received services and intervene if gaps appear. This tight feedback loop ensures no one slips through the cracks.

Reduced Administrative Burden
By automating referral workflows and check-ins, Blooming Health frees up care managers to focus on high-touch cases instead of getting bogged down in routine outreach.

The Power of Closed-Loop Referrals

Healthcare providers using Blooming Health’s closed-loop referral system achieve:

• Fewer preventable readmissions and ER visits

• Improved patient outcomes and satisfaction

• Stronger performance on value-based care metrics

• Reduced administrative costs

Closed-loop referrals don’t just improve operational efficiency — they save lives by ensuring critical social needs are addressed on time.

Let’s Close the Loop Together

Blooming Health helps healthcare organizations automate closed-loop referrals, so patients get the right care, right when they need it.

• Automate social needs screening and outreach

• Connect to the right community providers

• Track referral outcomes in real time

Meet with our team and see how Blooming Health can help your organization reduce readmissions with closed-loop referrals.