Community Resource Referral Platforms: A Guide for Health Care Organizations

Health care organizations are increasingly seeking to document patients’ social and economic needs and facilitate relevant referrals to social service organizations. Several technology start-ups have emerged in the last decade to enable organizations to do this, but little is known about what these new platforms offer and how they are being used.

To help health care organizations understand what these new technologies offer, SIREN has developed a guide that explores the landscape of community resource referral platforms and the experiences of early adopters. Drawing upon a review of nine commonly used platforms and interviews with 39 organizations in the process of selecting or implementing a platform, the guide provides a primer on the current features and functionalities of these technologies and distills lessons learned and recommendations on how to implement a community resource referral platform.

Download the executive summary.

Download the full report.

Watch the associated webinar.

This publication was made possible through the support of the Episcopal Health Foundation, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, and St. David’s Foundation.