Referrals overview
What is a referral?
A referral is a collection of patient information and documents used to track treatment or evaluation requests outside of your location or speciality.
Who can manage referrals?
People who may create and manage referrals in your practice include:
- Referral coordinators
- Office administrators
- Clinicians
- Dental students and faculty
When are referrals useful?
You can use a referral when:
- A clinician refers a patient to a specialist such as an orthodontist.
- A patient needs further assessment before considering a treatment.
- A clinic lacks the resources to perform a treatment.
- A student does not have the necessary expertise and refers a patient to another provider.
How does the referral process work in ICE Health Systems?
It starts by creating a referral from the Patient Referrals panel. Office staff or clinicians can create referrals and link relevant forms, attachments, and collaborations.
A new referral starts with a Draft status so you can add all the details you want before sending the referral.
When you send it, the system sends a notification to the providers involved. The receiving provider or clinic can open the referral and updates its status and linked items as they work with the patient.
When the receiving clinic or provider finishes, they can mark the referral as completed and the referring clinic can review it and optionally close or archive it for record-keeping.
To learn more about working with referrals, see: