Placement integrity
How ReferralFit keeps placement about the family
These are the rules the app follows when it suggests programs for a family, in plain language. They are built into how matching works. They are not settings a practice can switch off.
1. A program that does not fit is hidden, not demoted
A program is left off the list if it misses any one of these:
- the level of care the family needs;
- the population: men-only, women-only, or adolescent programs only where they apply;
- a way to pay: within the family's cash budget, or in-network for their insurance (out-of-network only when the clinician allows it);
- location, according to the family's preference;
- every need the clinician marks as must-have;
- an open bed, when the clinician asks for one and the program has confirmed in the last seven days that it is full.
2. Fit decides the order
Every program that meets the requirements gets a fit score from 0 to 100, made of four parts:
| Part | Up to | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical fit | 50 points | How many of the client's preferred clinical needs the program offers. |
| Cost to the family | 25 points | Full points in-network. Half out-of-network, with a reminder to verify benefits. For cash pay, more points the further under the family's budget. |
| Location preference | 10 points | Whether the program matches the family's wish to stay close to home or go away. |
| Track record | 15 points | Family experience, completion, and admit rate from recorded outcomes, blended with a baseline so a handful of cases cannot swing the score. |
3. Ties are broken fairly
When two programs score the same, the lower cost to the family comes first. Remaining ties rotate in an order tied to each family's match: the same family always sees the same order, and the next family sees a different one. No program is always first.
4. Referrals and money never rank
How many referrals a practice has sent to or received from a program, and any financial relationship with it, are never used to order programs. The app's automated tests shuffle referral counts and confirm the order does not change.
Programs cannot pay for placement or ranking. Claiming a directory listing or adding credentials never moves a program up.
5. Financial relationships are disclosed
A practice records any financial relationship it has with a program: a consulting fee, a marketing agreement, a speaking fee, shared ownership, or something else. It shows as a badge on the program, it is written into every family and program packet automatically, and choosing that program asks for one more confirmation. The packet tells the family the relationship played no part in the recommendation and that they are free to choose any program.
6. The reason is recorded
When the program chosen is not the top match, the practitioner records why: the family's preference, bed availability, clinical judgment, or another reason. The record keeps the top five programs shown and their scores, and it cannot be edited afterwards.
7. The family's budget is never shown to programs
A family's insurance and cost details stay in the practice's workspace. They are never shared with programs, never included in the program's copy of a placement packet, and never used in rankings or network statistics.
8. De-identified by default
The referral ledger and match profiles are kept de-identified, and placement packets share a de-identified recommendation. Optional AI-drafted follow-ups never send phone numbers, email addresses, last names, case notes, or documents.
9. Network figures only from five or more practices
Statistics about a program across the network are shown only when at least five distinct practices have contributed, so no single practice, professional, or client can be identified.
The law, briefly
Federal law, including the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA) and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, and many state patient-brokering laws prohibit offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving anything of value in return for referring patients to treatment, with limited exceptions. ReferralFit is designed so that referral traffic and money cannot influence where a family is placed, and so that programs cannot buy placement.
ReferralFit is not legal advice, and using it does not make any arrangement lawful. Talk with healthcare counsel about your practice's relationships.