CHANDLER, Ariz., Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Raintree, the leading provider of AI-powered software for rehabilitation and physical therapy organizations, today announced a new industry report produced in collaboration with Censuswide and health information network leader Kno2: “Cracks in the PT Referral Loop: Costs, Impact, and Opportunity.” The report quantifies how disconnected referral workflows drive missed revenue, staff burnout, and poorer patient experiences—and shows why true, automated interoperability is now a competitive necessity in rehab therapy.
“Fax machines and manual workflows involving portals aren’t a strategy—they’re a burden,” said Chris Farrell, Chief Marketing Officer at Raintree. “Therapy leaders are realizing that automated, bi-directional data exchange isn’t just a compliance checkbox. It’s how you convert more referrals, move patients into care faster, and prove value in modern payment models.”
A Clear Call to Close the Loop
Combining in-depth interviews with interoperability experts with new Censuswide survey data from 150 U.S. senior leaders at large physical therapy practices and 500 U.S. consumers referred to PT within the last three years, the report reveals a persistent gap between perception and reality in referral connectivity—and the measurable advantage when clinics close the loop with automated, EHR-to-EHR data exchange.
Key Findings
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Delays are common—and costly. Nearly 58% of patients report a delay between referral and treatment; 31% say their condition worsened, and 25% lost motivation to begin PT.
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Closing the loop improves completion. When the referring provider is kept up to date, 93% of patients complete their full course of PT—vs. 67% when providers aren’t informed.
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Manual friction frustrates patients.
89% of patients had to re-submit personal information after referral; 40% were not very satisfied with scheduling ease.
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Perception ≠ reality. While 62% of leaders believe they use automated, interoperable referral systems, many still rely on fax, phone, and proprietary portals—and 99% report challenges in the referral process.
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Revenue at risk. 65% of leaders agree that delayed, lost, or unconverted referrals are a significant source of missed revenue; 48% say referrals are their primary source of new patient volume. 40% expect greater reliance on closed-loop referrals to drive growth over the next 1–2 years.
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Universal patient upside.
100% of leaders say patients benefit from a closed-loop referral system, citing higher satisfaction, fewer admin delays, and greater plan-of-care completion.
From Compliance to Competitive Advantage
The report clarifies that true interoperability means automated, bi-directional, contextual data exchange (EHR-to-EHR). Leaders cite top barriers such as perceived integration lift and referrer alignment; the paper provides a practical Vendor Evaluation Checklist to separate stopgaps from scalable solutions.
Download the Full Report
Access “Cracks in the PT Referral Loop: Costs, Impact, and Opportunity” here: https://landing.raintreeinc.com/interoperability-report
About Raintree Systems
Raintree is the software of choice for rehabilitation and physical therapy organizations, managing 50+ million annual patient visits across 8,500+ clinics. Through purposeful investments in AI and interoperability, Raintree’s ONC-certified EHR, patient engagement, clinical documentation, RCM, and analytics solutions streamline operations and improve outcomes across the therapy journey. Learn more at www.raintreeinc.com.
About Kno2
Kno2 operates one of the nation’s largest healthcare communication networks, including as a federally designated Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) and CMS Aligned network, enabling secure, effortless exchange among providers, payers, patients, and vendors—processing billions of transactions annually.
Media Contact:
Sorella Andersen
[email protected]
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SOURCE Raintree Systems
