You Don’t Need References From Your Specialty. You Just Need References.

When evaluating a healthcare vendor, medical practices often ask for references from organizations within their exact specialty.

A neurology group wants to speak with another neurology group. A nephrology practice wants a nephrology reference. A urology group may hesitate if the vendor cannot immediately produce another urology client.

A specialty-specific reference is useful. It can help validate clinical workflows, patient fit, terminology, and specialty-related experience.

But it should be viewed as a nice-to-have, not an automatic requirement.

For many healthcare services, the most important work is largely specialty agnostic. Implementation, patient enrollment, staffing, customer service, reporting, billing coordination, account management, and relationship building matter across nearly every medical practice.

The better question is not, “Do you work with another practice exactly like ours?”

It is:

“Have you consistently delivered for organizations with comparable operational needs?”

A matching specialty does not guarantee a useful comparison

Two practices within the same specialty can operate very differently.

They may have different:

• Patient populations
• Provider counts
• Payer mixes
• EHRs and billing systems
• Staffing models
• Locations and geographic markets
• Leadership involvement
• Financial objectives
• Levels of internal infrastructure

A three-provider independent practice may have less in common with a 30-provider specialty group than it does with a similarly sized practice in another field.

Specialty is one comparison point. It is not always the most important one.

02 Evaluate the relationship, not just the logo

The purpose of a reference call is to understand how the vendor performs once the sales process ends.

Instead of focusing primarily on specialty, ask questions about the parts of the relationship that determine whether the program succeeds.

Implementation and onboarding

• Did the vendor establish a clear implementation plan?
• Were responsibilities and timelines defined?
• How long did it take to launch?
• What work remained with the practice?
• Were there unexpected costs or delays?
• Did the vendor provide adequate training?

Operations

• Does the program operate as originally presented?
• Has it reduced or added administrative work?
• Are workflows consistent and reliable?
• How effectively does the vendor resolve problems?
• Has the program scaled without creating disruption?

Relationship and trust

• Did the vendor deliver what it promised?
• Is the account team transparent when problems arise?
• Does the vendor take ownership or shift responsibility?
• Has the relationship improved or weakened over time?
• Do you trust the vendor with your patients and reputation?

Customer service

• How responsive is the vendor?
• Are issues resolved quickly?
• Do you have access to decision-makers?
• Has support changed since implementation?
• Does the vendor treat your practice as a priority?

Patient experience

• How do patients respond to the service?
• Are patients able to reach the vendor when needed?
• Is communication professional and consistent?
• How are complaints handled?
• Has the program strengthened or damaged patient trust?

Financial performance

• Were the original projections realistic?
• Did enrollment and collections meet expectations?
• Were costs consistent with the proposal?
• Are reports accurate and easy to reconcile?
• Has the program produced an acceptable return?

Ongoing management

• Does the vendor conduct meaningful quarterly business reviews?
• Are performance gaps identified and addressed?
• Does reporting support business decisions?
• Has the vendor continued improving the program?
• Would you select the vendor again?

These answers will usually tell you more than a matching specialty name.

03 Know when specialty experience does matter

Specialty-specific experience becomes more important when the service depends heavily on specialized clinical protocols, unique patient risks, complex escalation pathways, specialty-specific reimbursement, or highly customized workflows.

In those situations, the practice should validate that the vendor understands the clinical environment. But even then, a specialty reference should not replace a broader evaluation of implementation, service, performance, and trust.

A vendor can understand your specialty and still be a poor operational partner.

04 References are evidence, not the decision

Practices should speak with more than one reference whenever possible. The vendor will likely provide satisfied clients, so the quality of the questions matters. Look for patterns across the conversations. If several clients describe strong implementation, responsive service, honest communication, reliable reporting, a positive patient experience, and consistent financial performance, that evidence is valuable even if they operate in different specialties.

Do not reject a capable vendor simply because it cannot produce your exact organizational twin.

The best reference is not always the practice that looks most like yours on paper. It is the one that can clearly explain what the vendor is like to work with after the contract is signed.

ConnectedCare Advisory Group helps medical practices evaluate vendors beyond client logos and specialty labels. We focus on how the vendor implements, operates, communicates, supports patients, reports performance, and builds trust over time.

Specialty experience can strengthen the case.

Execution determines whether the relationship works.

Judge the relationship, not the logo

ConnectedCare Advisory Group helps practices evaluate vendors beyond client logos and specialty labels — how they implement, operate, communicate, support patients, report performance, and build trust over time.