Most referral outreach goes unsent because nobody has time to write it. The messages that do go out tend to be either generic ("Just checking in!") or so long nobody reads them. Here are short templates for the three messages your team sends most often. Adapt the wording so it sounds like the person sending it.
A note before the templates: keep patient-identifying details out of routine outreach email. If you need to discuss a specific patient, use your organization's secure, approved channel and share only what's necessary.
1. Thank-you after a new referral
Send it within a day. Speed is part of the message.
Hi Dana, thank you for thinking of us this week. Our team has been in touch and care is getting started. If anything comes up on your side, my direct line is 555-0100. I really appreciate the trust.
Why it works: it's prompt, confirms the referral was handled, gives a direct contact and doesn't ask for anything.
2. Check-in with a partner who has gone quiet
Lead with something useful, not with the gap.
Hi Marcus, I wanted to let you know we now accept weekend admissions in your area, which I know has been a pain point for Friday discharges. Would you have ten minutes next week? I'd love to hear how things are going on your unit and whether there's anything we could be doing better.
Why it works: it offers news that solves a real problem, asks for a short and specific next step, and invites honest feedback, which is often where you learn why referrals slowed.
3. Update to an active partner
A periodic update keeps you top of mind without asking for anything.
Hi Priya, a quick note from our team: we've added two physical therapists who cover the north side, so start-of-care times there should be shorter. Thanks again for the partnership this quarter. If it would help, I'm happy to do a short in-service for your new case managers.
Why it works: it shares a concrete operational change that affects their patients and offers something of value.
Tips that make any template better
- Personalize the first line. Mention something real: their new role, a conversation you had, a recent change on their unit.
- One ask, maximum. A visit, a call or a reply. Not all three.
- Send from a real person. Messages from a marketer's own inbox get replies. Messages from a no-reply address don't.
- Follow up once. If there's no reply in about a week, a two-line nudge is fine. After that, change the channel: drop by or call.
- Keep a record. Note what you sent and whether the partner replied or referred. That's how you learn which messages work.
Wellby is built to draft these messages in each marketer's voice and queue them by priority. Your marketers approve every message before it's sent from their own email, and Wellby drafts the follow-up if nobody replies.
