The External Referral Directory & CRM Bridge pulls the EMR’s existing list of external organizations, fax numbers, and Direct addresses into Salesforce or other CRM platforms. Instead of maintaining separate external directories in the EMR, CRM, and spreadsheets, referral and outreach teams all work from the same list.
- EMRs like Epic already keep a directory of external practices, SNFs, rehab facilities, home health agencies, and other referral targets.
- Referral teams, care managers, and outreach staff often rebuild the list in Salesforce or other CRMs by hand.
- Fax numbers, Direct addresses, and contact details drift out of sync, leading to failed referrals and rework.
What it does
- Reads the EMR external org directory: Uses HL7, FHIR, or flat-file exports to pull the EMR’s “external organizations/providers” table.
- Normalizes contact details: Standardizes basic fields such as name, address, phone, fax, Direct address, and organization type.
- Publishes to CRM: Loads or syncs external organizations into Salesforce (or another CRM) as accounts/contacts with clear flags for referral targets and care-transition partners.
- Supports ongoing sync: On a schedule or event-triggered basis, updates the CRM when the EMR’s directory changes.
- Respects separation from PDM: Keeps this external directory distinct from the internal PDM directory that models employed and affiliated providers.
How it fits with PDM and Care Teams
- PDM + CareTeam: Used for employed providers, caregivers, and community providers that are part of the organization’s active network and care teams.
- External Referral Directory: Covers outside facilities and practices that receive outgoing referrals or transition-of-care packets but are not managed as full PDM entries.
- CRM bridge: Gives outreach and network teams in Salesforce the same external sites the EMR uses for orders, referrals, and document routing.
Example workflows
- Network management: Track relationships with high-volume external referral sites in Salesforce, using the same fax and Direct addresses that live in the EMR.
- Care transitions: Care managers select external partners in the EMR; outreach teams see the same sites in CRM for follow-up and performance review.
- Directory cleanup: Changes made by HIM or referral management in the EMR roll into Salesforce automatically, reducing duplicate maintenance.
Integration approach
- Source: EMR external organization/provider tables (e.g., Epic’s external orgs and locations), exposed via HL7, FHIR Organization/Endpoint, or scheduled extracts.
- Transform: Map to a stable internal data model for external referral sites.
- Target: Salesforce (accounts/contacts) and other CRM or outreach tools via APIs or bulk loads.
Great for
- Referral and care transition teams: Use the same external partner list in the EMR and CRM.
- Network development and outreach: Analyze volumes, relationships, and follow-up in Salesforce based on the true referral endpoints.
- Interoperability and architecture teams: Keep a clear boundary between internal PDM, care teams, and a lighter-weight external referral directory.