The term 'Refer Out' refers to the process of directing patients to another general practitioner, specialist, or both for care that extends beyond the scope of the current practice.
Let's explore the Refer Out process through a compact slide-out, outlining four concise stages. The information has been structured in layers to simplify tasks like attaching documents or generating a summary.
Topics Covered
Refer Out a Patient
Explore this video for an in-depth walkthrough.
- Select the patient using the Global Search Bar.
- Click Menu.
- Select Refer Out.
OR
- Search for the patient using the Global Search Bar.
- Hover over Clinical > click Referrals.
- Click Refer Out.
Enter the mandatory Basic Details as given below.
- From: The provider that is referring out.
- Location: The location of the provider that is referring out.
- Select whether it is an External Referral or an Internal Referral.
- Send To: 'Referred to' address.
- Referral Provider: Name of the referral provider.
- The Email, Business Name, Speciality, and Additional Info fields auto-populate if the relevant information has been added to the selected provider in the system.
- Referral Date: Date of the referral process.
- You can add optional details such as Reason for Referral, Expected Return Date, and Internal Notes.
- Click Next.
Note: If you choose Internal Referral, the fields under Referral Details will differ from those for an External Referral. Make sure to select the Recipient Location and Treatment Provider. You can use Quick Send Referral to instantly send the referral to the in-house provider.
| Tip: When searching for a referral provider, you can also search using specialty-related keywords, for example, 'Endodontics,' to view all providers in that specialty. |
- Select Referral Letter from the drop-down menu. These are created in the Office Wizard. Click here to learn more.
- Click Save as Draft to save the refer-out as a draft.
| Tip: The draft referrals will be available on Patient Overview > Clinical > Referrals. |
- Click Previous to move to the previous section.
| Note: This is an optional step. To skip and continue, click Skip Adding Referral Letter. |
- If a form has been attached, fill out the mandatory information or update the content if needed.
- Click Add Signature if it is mandatory on the selected referral letter template.
- Enter the signature.
- Click Add.
- Once the details are filled,
- Click the Preview to view the preview of the referral letter.
- Click Previous to move to the previous section.
- Click Save as Draft to save the refer-out as a draft.
- Click Next to move to the Additional Attachments section.
- Select and upload Additional Attachments as needed.
- If you have one of our integrated cloud-based imaging partners (AEKA, SOTA, Tigerview, Apteryx), you can select the images you wish to send with this referral.
- To add clinical images, click Add Clinical Images.
- Select the required Images.
- Click Upload.
- Click on the required Additional Documents to add them. They include:
- Clinical Information: Past Treatments and prescribed medications of the patient.
- Medical History: Any of the patient’s previously completed Medical History Forms.
- Patient information: More detailed information about the patient, including their Overview, Responsible Party Information, Insurance Information, Eligibility, and Allergies and Conditions.
- Patient Documents: Includes any patient documents.
- Enter the required information if any Additional Documents has been selected.
- Click Save and Next to move to the next section.
- In the Summary page, review all information automatically attached to the referral.
- Click the pencil icon to edit the previous sections.
- To view the referral document, click View Referral Document.
- Click Send Referral.
- A toast notification will appear on the top right stating, 'Refer out send successfully'.
Additionally, you can take advantage of this feature to review the summary of the sent referral.
- Search for the patient using the Global Search Bar.
- Hover over Clinical > Referrals.
- Referrals saved as drafts will appear in Draft status.
- Click Edit to edit the details.
- Select a sent referral to view its summary
- The Summary provides an overview of both Referral and Insurance Details.
Configure Referral Email Trigger
Watch this video for a concise summary.
Let's check out how to set up email trigger for referral emails.
- Navigate to the System Menu > select Practice Settings > Referrals > Referral Settings.
Configure the following settings by clicking the relevant toggle buttons:
- Send referral portal link to providers when a referral provider is created: When this option is enabled, the newly added referral provider will receive a referral portal link upon being added to the system.
- Notify providers when a refer out is created: Switch the toggle button on to enable this option and send an email notification to the referral provider when a referral is created.
| Note: To view or edit Referral Settings, enable the View Referral Communication Settings and Edit Referral Communication Settings permissions for the intended profile. (System Menu → Practice Settings → Administration → Profiles → Manage Permissions → Practice Settings → Referral Settings). |
Send Signup Email Manually
If the above referral settings are disabled, you need to send a signup email to the referral provider.
Perform the steps below to get started.
- Navigate to the System Menu > select Referral Providers.
- Click View for the intended referral provider from the Referral Providers grid.
- Click Edit.
- Click Resend Signup Email.
- A toast notification will appear on the top right stating,' Signup email resend successfully'.
Manage Permissions
Watch this video for a quick overview.
To enable Permissions for Refer Out,
- Navigate to the System Menu > select Practice Settings > Administration > Profiles.
- Click Manage Permissions for the intended profile.
- Select Referrals.
- Under Refer Out, select the View Refer-Outs, or Create/Edit Refer-Outs permissions, as needed.
- Click Save.
- On the Confirm Action modal that appears, click Yes to proceed.
- A toast notification appears on the top right stating, 'Profile updated successfully'.
| Note: Ensure to enable the View Treatments Permission via System Menu → Practice Settings → Administration → Profiles → Manage Permissions → Treatment → View Treatments. |
Practices can use this comprehensive guide to learn all about the easy-to-use four-stage referral process.
Click here to explore the complete list of permissions and their descriptions.