In today’s fast-paced healthcare environment, Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) must operate efficiently to stay competitive. One of the most critical components of post-acute success is referral management—the intake process of accepting and admitting patients from hospitals and other providers. Yet many SNFs are still relying on fragmented, outdated processes that slow down intake, delay decisions, and lead to lost referrals.

Enter pac-IQ®: a modern, patent pending AI-powered referral management platform built to streamline admissions and improve visibility. pac-IQ automates key workflows, simplifies data processing, and helps SNFs admit patients faster—without compromising compliance or security.

The challenges of traditional referral management

Many SNFs face referral challenges due to manual processes and siloed systems. Without automation, teams can’t act quickly or confidently—and that means missed revenue and missed opportunities to deliver quality care.

Common pain points include:

  • Slow response times: Without automation, processing referrals takes too long, causing hospitals to send patients elsewhere.
  • Compliance risks: Manual processes increase the risk of miscommunication and HIPAA violations.
  • Data integration gaps: Referral data often lives outside core systems, causing duplication and delays.
  • Missed revenue: Every delayed referral is lost potential—for both patient care and reimbursement.

Traditional methods can’t match the speed, security, or intelligence required in today’s post-acute environment. SNFs need smarter tools to compete—and pac-IQ delivers.

How pac-IQ transforms referral management

pac-IQ is a purpose-built solution designed specifically for SNFs—no corner-cutting, no data scraping, no compliance gaps. Here’s how it helps streamline intake, improve compliance, and drive occupancy:

1. AI-powered referral processing

pac-IQ leverages AI to analyze and organize referral data instantly—extracting critical insights from long hospital packets to support faster, more informed decisions. The impact is measurable:

  • Reduced average clinical review time from 30 minutes to 5 minutes
  • 37,580 hours of labor saved in 2024
  • Over 1 million referral documents processed
  • Patients converted from acute to post-acute care 16 hours faster, on average
  • More than 200 denials overturned into admissions

2. Secure, HIPAA-compliant communication

With built-in, HIPAA-compliant messaging tools, pac-IQ enables seamless collaboration between hospital discharge planners and SNF admissions teams. This eliminates delays from faxes and phone tag—while ensuring sensitive patient data stays protected.

3. Seamless integration with existing systems

pac-IQ relies on partnerships, not unauthorized data scraping.
It ensures full compliance with terms of service, reducing IT headaches and legal concerns while delivering value from day one.

4. Real-time referral tracking & reporting

Gain visibility across the entire referral pipeline. pac-IQ delivers real-time dashboards to monitor sources, response times, and conversion rates—helping leaders make data-driven decisions that boost occupancy and revenue.

5. Faster admissions, higher occupancy

With faster intake, AI-powered insights and seamless collaboration, SNFs using pac-IQ admit more patients, more quickly—strengthening partnerships with referring hospitals and keeping beds filled.

Why compliance can’t be an afterthought

SNFs must prioritize referral management platforms that provide long-term stability, legal compliance and data security. Too many vendors cut corners by scraping data or bypassing terms of service—a risky strategy that can jeopardize critical data feeds and create legal exposure.

pac-IQ is built differently. Developed with partnerships in mind, every aspect of pac-IQ’s data handling aligns with legal requirements and industry best practices. With pac-IQ, SNFs gain peace of mind and a long-term partner in compliance.

Ready to upgrade your referral process?

Outdated referral methods can’t keep up with the demands of today’s senior living landscape. pac-IQ empowers SNFs to move faster, stay compliant, and make smarter decisions—driving better outcomes for patients and stronger performance for your facility.

Contact the pac-IQ team today to unlock smarter referral management for your SNF >