How to hire a referral specialist

How to hire a referral specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step referral specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a referral specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new referral specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a referral specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The referral specialist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect referral specialist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents referral specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Referral Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Referral Specialist	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$13-20
   Scheduler	A scheduler is responsible for arranging appointments and carrying out reminder calls and correspondence to anyone involved. In a company setting, it is also a scheduler's responsibility to coordinate with various departments and personnel to organize an accurate timetable that will consist of meetings, gatherings, deadlines, or other pressing matters... Show more	$11-32
   Patient Care Representative	PCRs (Patient Care Representatives) are given responsibilities like updating and verifying patient information after every visit, scheduling and reminding patients about appointments, and informing patients about delays and how long the estimated waiting times will be. They are also responsible for obtaining patients' personal information like their address, contact details, insurance information, and medical and surgical history... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Medical Terminology
   • PET
   • Patient Care
   • Data Entry
   • Primary Care
   • Process Referrals
   • Medical Services
   • CPT
   • HIPAA
   • Social Work
   • EMR
   • Patient Referrals

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage assignments of paying medical bills limit in depth that include organizing and researching regulations as pertain to veterans eligibility.
   • Interview patients, evaluate eligibility, collect co-pays, deductibles, including, but not limit to insurance verification.
   • Input HIPAA information, call physician offices to verify testing, collect copay's and deductibles.
   • Arrange for debt repayments or establish repayment schedules and send out insurance claims with the correct ICD-9 and CPT codes.
   • Research referrals and either deny or approve based on information obtain and appropriately identify diagnosis (CPT and ICD-9 coding).
   • Maintain confidentiality by following all applicable HIPAA regulations.

   More referral specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your referral specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A referral specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a referral specialist in Utah may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level referral specialist usually earns less than a senior-level referral specialist. Additionally, a referral specialist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average referral specialist salary

   $36,143yearly

   $17.38 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level referral specialist salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average referral specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$49,855	$24
   2	Minnesota	$44,428	$21
   3	Massachusetts	$41,278	$20
   4	Maryland	$40,631	$20
   5	Washington	$39,536	$19
   6	California	$39,519	$19
   7	New York	$38,925	$19
   8	Rhode Island	$37,976	$18
   9	New Hampshire	$37,841	$18
   10	Pennsylvania	$37,727	$18
   11	North Carolina	$36,742	$18
   12	Oregon	$36,492	$18
   13	Maine	$35,842	$17
   14	Illinois	$35,321	$17
   15	Georgia	$34,834	$17
   16	Arizona	$34,623	$17
   17	Colorado	$34,369	$17
   18	Missouri	$34,294	$16
   19	South Carolina	$34,162	$16
   20	Florida	$33,815	$16

   Average referral specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cognizant	$51,074	$24.55	8
   2	The University of Chicago	$45,059	$21.66	23
   3	Southcoast Health	$43,881	$21.10	20
   4	Medical University of South Carolina	$43,681	$21.00	11
   5	ASRC Federal	$42,160	$20.27
   6	Care New England Health System	$41,668	$20.03	28
   7	Grene Vision Group	$41,491	$19.95	4
   8	Mayo Clinic	$41,345	$19.88	58
   9	Lifespan	$40,755	$19.59
   10	Sutter Health	$40,728	$19.58	49
   11	Progressive Community Health Centers	$40,572	$19.51
   12	Teaneck High School	$40,455	$19.45
   13	East Texas Council Of Governments	$40,122	$19.29	1
   14	Loudoun County Social Svc	$40,110	$19.28
   15	City of Hope	$40,088	$19.27	5
   16	John Muir Health	$39,882	$19.17	4
   17	Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County	$39,722	$19.10
   18	Shriners Hospitals for Children	$39,498	$18.99	4
   19	Boston ElderINFO	$39,492	$18.99
   20	OSF HealthCare	$39,164	$18.83	8

4. Writing a referral specialist job description

   A good referral specialist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a referral specialist job description:

   Referral specialist job description example

   Applicants for all positions must be or become fully vaccinated against Covid-19 if selected for hire. Valid medical or religious exemptions will be considered but serial Covid-19 testing will be required to maintain employment.
   Coordinates and schedules patient referrals and follow up appointments.
   
   Essential Functions/Responsibilities/Duties
   Manages work queues regarding referral activity on a daily basis to ensure timely processing and/or completion. Assists with patient referrals for additional services needed with internal and external medical facilities. Assists with patient insurance authorization. Assists with appointment setup as needed. Coordinates follow up between referral source and patient. Ensures chart notes and follow up documentation is linked to referral. Provides translated educational materials and directions to patients when necessary. Processes incoming correspondence and responds to calls, emails, and faxes.
   Qualifications
   Education : High School Diploma or General Education Diploma (GED). Experience : One year's experience working in a medical and/or dental front office setting; with insurance referrals and authorizations preferred. Knowledge/Skills/Abilities Required: Bilingual (English/Spanish) required. Must demonstrate the ability to communicate at level 10 on the language proficiency scale to receive bilingual differential pay. Knowledge of or ability to learn medical terminology required. Ability to prioritize work, handle a variety of tasks simultaneously and complete projects in a fast-paced environment. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Strong organizational skills.
   About YVFWC
   
   We serve more than 181,000 patients across 25 medical clinics, 14 dental clinics, 10 pharmacies, and 64 program sites in two states. We are Level 3 Certified as a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). With integrated services including medical, dental, pharmacy, orthodontia, primary care nutritional counseling, autism screening, and primary care behavioral health, YVFWC s patient-centered model of care offers patients the full spectrum of care and shelter assistance, energy assistance, weatherization, HIV and AIDS counseling and testing, home visits, and four mobile medical/dental clinics.
   
   Working at YVFWC
   
   Working in our organization means being the passionate champion for those who have no voice. It means having the opportunity to work with underserved populations and with peers committed to the same work.
   
   At Farm Workers Clinic
   We will consistently trust one another to work for the common good. We will foster integrity by demonstrating ethical behavior and insisting on doing what we say we will do. We will demonstrate transparency by being candid and truthful no matter the risk. We will create partnerships to strengthen ourselves and our community. We will fight for just treatment for all individuals. We will let joy in. We have the courage to be an agent of change and refuse anything short of excellence.
   Our mission celebrates diversity. We are committed to equal opportunity employment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right referral specialist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with referral specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit referral specialists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your referral specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit referral specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit referral specialists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new referral specialist

   Once you've selected the best referral specialist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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