Guide for agency owners · Reviewed September 29, 2026
How home care agencies get clients
The short answer
Past and current clients and their families are the top referral source, at 19.5% of referrals in the Home Care Association of America’s Private Duty Benchmarking Study, 5th edition. Hospital discharge planners are next at 8.8%. The study says the top method “consistently ranks #1 each year”.1
Referral sources by share
This list is what the source gives. It leaves out channels such as physician offices, elder law attorneys, online search and reviews, and we did not find sourced figures for them.1
| Source | Share of referrals |
|---|---|
| Past and current clients and their loved ones | 19.5% |
| Hospital discharge planners | 8.8% |
| Medicare-certified home health agencies | 7.1% |
| Skilled nursing facilities | 5.9% |
| State Medicaid waiver programs | 5.7% |
| Hospices | 5.1% |
| Geriatric care managers | 4.2% |
| Area Agency on Aging case managers | 4.0% |
| Assisted living facilities | 3.7% |
What follows for an agency
- The first channel is the one you already have: families who have used you. Make it easy for them to say so, including online.
- The partners on the list, discharge planners, home health agencies and care managers, refer when they trust an agency. Being licensed and easy to verify helps.
- Families search before they call. Show your license, your services and your rates where they look.
Where a directory listing fits
Your agency is already listed in our directory from the State of California’s license data, and families can find you by city, ZIP code or name. Claiming the listing lets you publish signed rates with the verified seal, and embed the card on your own site. See how a rate card works.
Your agency is already listed
Every licensed Home Care Organization in Los Angeles County is in the directory. Claim yours, free for six months, and publish signed rates. There is no charge per family, and we sell no leads.
Claim your free listingCommon questions
What is the most common source of new home care clients?
In the benchmarking study cited by Activated Insights, past and current clients and their loved ones, at 19.5% of referrals.1
Sources
- Home care marketing: obtaining referrals from doctors, hospitals and other sources Activated Insights, accessed 29 Sep 2026