Specialist assessment
A professional may request another area of expertise where clinically appropriate.
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Explore Care / Next steps / How referrals work
How healthcare
referrals work
A healthcare referral is a request or recommendation from a healthcare professional or another locally permitted source for assessment or services by a different professional or organization. Referral requirements vary by location, service and coverage. Sending a referral does not mean it has been accepted or that an appointment is booked.
Understanding the route
Do you need a referral to access care?
Some services require a referring professional. Others permit direct contact or self-referral subject to local requirements.
Professional referral
A professional initiates the request.
The appropriately qualified professional determines whether to initiate a referral when required. The receiving service independently evaluates its next steps.
Professional assessment is separate from administrative delivery, receiving acceptance, and appointment scheduling.
Locally permitted self-referral
A person follows an allowed local process.
Some systems or services permit self-referral. Eligibility, coverage, intake rules, and professional review can still apply.
Do not assume that self-referral is available everywhere. Ask the appropriate local organization which route applies.
Educational contexts
Common reasons a referral may be used.
These examples explain concepts—not what care you need. Only the responsible healthcare team can advise on individual circumstances.
Diagnostics
A relevant care team may request assessment or testing through its authorized pathway.
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Rehabilitation
A professional may consider a rehabilitation service as part of appropriate care planning.
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Community support
A responsible care team may consider a community or support service under local arrangements.
Explore service education →Who does what
Independent decisions.
Clear responsibilities.
Referring professional
Determines whether to initiate a referral when required and uses the permitted sending process.
Does not establish receiving acceptance simply by sending.
Receiving service
Independently assesses its intake, suitability, clinical review, and next-step decisions.
Receipt alone is not acceptance or confirmed scheduling.
Patient / caregiver
May need to confirm relevant information, permissions, or scheduling preferences.
Caregivers need appropriate legal authority and supported permissions.
Payer / administrator
May establish applicable coverage or administrative conditions where relevant.
A coverage check is not a clinical decision or guarantee of care.
The process, step by step
From referral request
to the next care step.
This ordered sequence is an educational explanation. It is not a live referral timeline or a promise of a particular workflow.
- 01
Start with the appropriate route
Talk with a qualified care professional or follow a permitted local self-referral process.
Responsible owner: Qualified professional or the permitted local process.
- 02
Create and send the referral
The authorized party creates and submits required information to the designated service.
Responsible owner: Authorized sender and sending organization.
- 03
Establish receipt
The receiving organization confirms receipt when supported. This is not acceptance.
Responsible owner: Receiving organization or its authoritative intake source.
- 04
Review and communicate a decision
The receiving organization assesses suitability and communicates its decision under its own rules.
Responsible owner: Receiving service and appropriately authorized reviewers.
- 05
Understand the next step
The responsible organization explains accepted next steps, further information needed, or an alternative route.
Responsible owner: The organization responsible for that decision and communication.
Status literacy
Know what a referral status really means.
Sent means dispatched; delivered or received means technical or administrative receipt. Acceptance, clinical review, and appointment confirmation require their own evidence.
- Initiated / drafted
- A referral is being considered or prepared. It may not have been submitted.
- Submitted
- An authorized process has been used to send the request.
- Received
- The destination reports receipt. This does not establish clinical review.
- Under review
- The relevant review is reported by its authoritative source; its scope must be clear.
- Accepted for next step
- The receiving organization agrees to a defined next step, not necessarily an appointment.
- Further information required
- The responsible organization identifies an additional information requirement.
- Not accepted
- The receiving service has not accepted the relevant request; ask the responsible team about its decision.
- Withdrawn / closed
- The source reports withdrawal or closure, according to that workflow.
- Unknown
- The status is not confirmed. Missing or stale information must not be assumed to mean success.
- Appointment confirmed
- A separate explicit appointment confirmation has been issued by the responsible service.
01 / Conceptual state
02 / Conceptual state
03 / Conceptual state
04 / Conceptual state
05 / Conceptual state
06 / Conceptual state
07 / Conceptual state
08 / Conceptual state
09 / Conceptual state
10 / Conceptual state
Information & privacy
Your information and
permissions matter.
Referral details may include sensitive health information. Only authorized people and organizations should use information relevant to an approved purpose.
Caregiver access and cross-organization sharing depend on role, identity, lawful permission, and local requirements. Source stewardship and the minimum necessary information matter.
This page does not collect referral details.
No medical record upload, referral ID, symptom input, diagnosis, patient lookup, or free-text case information is requested.
Use only an official, authorized process supplied by the responsible care organization for sensitive information.
Privacy & responsibility principles →Local rules & service scope
Referral rules depend on
location and service.
Requirements vary across health systems, provider participation, specialties, payer arrangements, and regional rules.
Choosing a care location supplies informational context. It does not confer eligibility, a referral right, coverage, personal-record access, or permission for cross-border data transfer.
If a referral is delayed or not accepted
Ask about the last known state.
Identify who owns the next action.
Waiting for a response
Contact the originating care team or receiving organization through its official channel. Ask whether receipt, review, or another action is pending.
Additional information required
Ask the responsible organization what is needed and which authorized channel to use. Do not send medical details through this public page.
Declined or cannot be located
Ask the originating or receiving team to verify the last known state and advise on its decision or process. Do not infer an alternative clinical route yourself.
Related information pathways
Choose the explanation for your role.
Patients & caregivers
Learn about requests, permissions, and appropriate next-step expectations. This is separate from a live patient referral workflow.
Patient information →
Clinicians
Review professional roles, handoffs, and the difference between administrative and clinical responsibility.
Professional-role education →
Hospitals & clinics
Understand institutional coordination principles without a claim of deployed referral integrations.
Institutional overview →Questions, answered
Understand the handoff.
Keep the decision clear.
Understand your next step with clearer information.
Explore the care-pathway model or review location guidance before considering any separately authorized service.