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Physician Referral Services in the US - Market Research Report (2014-2029)

IBISWorld IBISWorld New York, United States Last Updated: January 2024 NAICS OD6533 Spotlight Report

Revenue

$10.1bn

2024

$10.1bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

$XXX.Xm

Employees

53,378

Businesses

3,827

Wages

$X.Xbn

Physician Referral Services in the US industry analysis

Revenue has grown, this growth is a result of consistent increases in healthcare expenditure and medical cost inflation, in addition to a decline in the uninsured rate. People on insurance are more likely to be in need of physician referral services. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was as an influx of health insurance enrollment through expanded Medicaid eligibility.  In the past five years, industry revenue grew at a CAGR of 3.6% to $1.9 billion, including a 1.3% increase in 2024 alone, when profit increased to 6.8%.

Trends and Insights

  • The need for referrals stimulated revenue growth. Most insurance plans require patients to have a physician referral before seeing a specialized physician to avoid patients undergoing unnecessary procedures.
  • Cloud-based services and referral management software as a segment will only keep getting larger. The future of the economy is the cloud. It will become a point where a physician referral servicer will not survive if they aren’t fully on the cloud.
  • Physician referral servicers must comply with regulation requirements, which produce additional costs. Compliance costs are more burdensome for smaller firms, as they need to devote a greater percentage of their resources to stay in good standing with regulatory bodies.

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  • Competitive analysis, industry segmentation, financial benchmarks
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  • Critical performance data and rankings
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Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2014-2029)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 8.2 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $10.1bn in 2024.

Trends and Insights

The need for referrals stimulated revenue growth

  • Most insurance plans require patients to have a physician referral before seeing a specialized physician to avoid patients undergoing unnecessary procedures. Since specialists rely on referrals to generate business, physician referral developers fill a vital role, especially for new physicians. Referral service companies also work with insurance providers to create physician networks that simplify the referral process.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Physician Referral Services in the US
Revenue (2014-2029)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2024-2029)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Aging population drives growth

  • Demand for physician referral services shows no signs of slowing down in the coming years as the senior population increases and healthcare expenditure continues to rise. As the over-65 population increases, the need for specialist physicians grows because age-related health conditions often require specialized treatment. The continual need for medical help that's within an insurance plan and therefore affordable is likely to persist.

Biggest companies in the Physician Referral Services in the US

There are no companies that hold a large enough market share in the Physician Referral Services in the US industry for IBISWorld to include in this product.

Products & Services Segmentation

Physician Referral Services in the US
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Cloud-based services, Referral management software and On-premise services. Cloud-based services is the largest segment of the Physician Referral Services in the US.

Trends and Insights

Cloud-based services and referral management software will only keep getting larger

  • Cloud-based services are physician referral services that are offered and accessed via software that connects to the cloud. Cloud-based services allows both the offerors and receivers of the service the flexibility and accessibility of the cloud. Referral management software works as software as a service, which people pay a subscription to use the software. Software as a service is more specific subset of cloud-based services.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

Operators in this industry offer third-party referral services to patients for specialized doctors or general physicians.

What's included in this industry?

Referral agencies (active) Referral registries (passive) Other

Companies

Purchase this report to view all major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

EMRSPHYSICIAN REFERRALSCLOUD

Industry Code

NAICS 2017

NAICS 561312 - Physician Referral Services in the US

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

The need for referrals stimulated revenue growth. Most insurance plans require patients to have a physician referral before seeing a specialized physician to avoid patients u...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Employees, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Businesses, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Profit, including historical (2014-2024)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Factors that influence volatility in the industry
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

Cloud-based services and referral management software as a segment will only keep getting larger. The future of the economy is the cloud. It will become a point where a physi...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2024
  • Product innovation level

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2024
  • Major market segmentation in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

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In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each state
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2024

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each state in 2024
  • Number and share of revenue each state accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of wages each state accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of employees in each state in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Physician referral servicers must comply with regulation requirements, which produce additional costs. Compliance costs are more burdensome for smaller firms, as they need to...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2019-2024
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

External Environment

Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

Analyst insights

Physicians' referral services receive neither public nor private assistance. At most, physician referral servicers receive indirect types of public assistance since governmen...

In this chapter

  • External Drivers
  • Regulation & Policy
  • Assistance

Key metrics

  • Regulation & policy level and trend
  • Assistance level and trend

Detailed analysis

  • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance

Financial Benchmarks

View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

Analyst insights

Competition for skilled workers sustains wages. Employees needs to refer physicians and keep in touch with various parties, from patients to hospitals to insurance companies ...

In this chapter

  • Cost Structure
  • Financial Ratios
  • Key Ratios

Key metrics

  • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
  • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
  • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
  • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

Charts

  • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Investment vs. share of economy

Data tables

  • Industry Multiples (2017-2022)
  • Industry Tax Structure (2017-2022)
  • Income Statement (2017-2022)
  • Balance Sheet (2017-2022)
  • Liquidity Ratios (2017-2022)
  • Coverage Ratios (2017-2022)
  • Leverage Ratios  (2017-2022)
  • Operating Ratios (2017-2022)
  • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Employee (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Establishment (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Average Wage (2014-2029)
  • Wages/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Establishments per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • IVA/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Imports/Demand (2014-2029)
  • Exports/Revenue (2014-2029)

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Data Tables

Including values and annual change:

  • Revenue (2014-2029)
  • IVA (2014-2029)
  • Establishments (2014-2029)
  • Enterprises (2014-2029)
  • Employment (2014-2029)
  • Exports (2014-2029)
  • Imports (2014-2029)
  • Wages (2014-2029)

Top Questions Answered

Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

What is the market size of the Physician Referral Services in the US industry in United States in 2024?

The market size of the Physician Referral Services in the US industry in United States is $10.1bn in 2024.

How many businesses are there in the Physician Referral Services in the US industry in 2024?

There are 3,827 businesses in the Physician Referral Services in the US industry in United States, which has grown at a CAGR of 5.0 % between 2019 and 2024.

Has the Physician Referral Services in the US industry in United States grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Physician Referral Services in the US industry in United States has been growing at a CAGR of 8.2 % between 2019 and 2024.

What is the forecast growth of the Physician Referral Services in the US industry in United States over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Physician Referral Services in the US industry in United States is expected to grow.

What does the Physician Referral Services in the US in United States include?

Referral agencies (active) and Referral registries (passive) are part of the Physician Referral Services in the US industry.

How competitive is the Physician Referral Services in the US industry in United States?

The level of competition is moderate and steady in the Physician Referral Services in the US industry in United States.

Related Industries

Widen your competitive advantage with related industries

Competitors

  • Emergency & Other Outpatient Care Centers in the US
  • Hospitals in the US

Complementors

  • Health & Medical Insurance in the US
  • Third-Party Administrators & Insurance Claims Adjusters in the US

International industries

  • Global Insurance Brokers & Agencies
  • Hospitals in Canada
  • General Insurance in the UK

View all industries in United States

Methodology

How are IBISWorld reports created?

IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

Key data sources in the US include: 

  • US Census Bureau
  • US Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • US International Trade Commission

Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

These sources include:

  • Industry and trade associations
  • Industry federations or regulators
  • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

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