Referral leakage is an evergreen challenge for health systems, but it is especially difficult in competitive markets where patients have multiple care options. Mount Sinai set a systemwide goal to achieve 75% referral conversion.

Mount Sinai Health System is a large health system with locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island. They have 8 hospitals, an expansive ambulatory network of over 400 locations, and 7,200 physicians.

Mount Sinai deployed targeted solutions to combat patient leakage at the point of referral, during visit scheduling, and leading up to the specialist appointment. Using this comprehensive approach, Mount Sinai sought to seamlessly guide patients to the right specialist while prioritizing access and convenience.

Though parts of this strategy are still rolling out, Mount Sinai has already seen meaningful results. So far, their referral conversion rate has improved by 10%, and nearly half of patients who receive a referral see a specialist within two weeks.