referral

referral

 [re-fer´al]

in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as arrangement for services by another care provider or agency.

Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

referral

Medspeak-UK
(1) A request made to a health or social care agency in the UK for assistance or a specific action. Under the Single Assessment Process, a referral would usually be sent with basic personal information and assessment information already gathered to trigger a specialist assessment. Individuals may self-refer or re-refer themselves as their care needs change.
 
(2) A request by a person, an organisation on behalf of a patient, or the patient him- or herself, to a healthcare professional or organisation to provide healthcare to one or more patients—e.g., a couple for infertility or for relationship counselling.

Types
Outpatient referral, A&E referral, AHP referral.

(3) A informal term referring to the date when a patient is referred in the UK by his or her GP to a qualified professional for in-depth assessment.
  
Medspeak-US
(1) A patient who has been sent (referred) for a second opinion or therapy to a specialist or subspecialist, because the patient has a disease or condition that the primary or referring physician cannot, or does not wish to, treat.
 
(2) The act of sending of a patient to another physician for ongoing management of a specific problem, with the expectation that the patient will continue seeing the original physician for co-ordination of total care.

(3) A formal process which authorises a health maintenance organisation (HMO) member to obtain care from a specialist or hospital; most HMOs require patients to get a referral from their primary care doctor before seeing a specialist.
 
Neurology
See Pain referral.

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

referral

Managed care A formal process that authorizes an HMO member to get care from a specialist or hospital; most HMOs require Pts to get a referral from their primary care doctor before seeing a specialist Medical practice

1. A Pt who has been sent–referred–for a 2^nd opinion or therapy to a specialist or subspecialist with greater expertise, as the Pt has a disease or condition that the primary or referring physician cannot, or does not wish to, treat. See Second opinion.

2. The sending of a Pt to another physician for ongoing management of a specific problem, with the expectation that the Pt will continue seeing the original physician for coordination of total care. See Negligent referral, Self-referral. Cf Consultation.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

re·fer·ral

(rĕ-fĕrăl)

Any health care services that are ordered or arranged.

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

re·fer·ral

(rĕ-fĕrăl)

Any health care services that are ordered or arranged.

Medical Dictionary for the Dental Professions © Farlex 2012