Why it matters
Referral processes usually exist informally and vary by who is covering. The cost is invisible: referrals that stall look identical to referrals that were never sent.
Process
Referral Workflow SOP
From referral received to patient seen, with owners at each step.
From referral received to patient seen, with owners at each step.
Referral processes usually exist informally and vary by who is covering. The cost is invisible: referrals that stall look identical to referrals that were never sent.
The checklist
Written to be used and adapted. Take it, change the parts that do not fit your practice, and put a name against each line.
- Log every referral on arrival, regardless of channel
- Check completeness against a defined standard
- Request what is missing within a stated window
- Contact the patient within a stated window
- Book, or record why not
- Close the loop with the referring practice
What is worth automating
Completeness checking and chasing are the automatable steps and the ones most often skipped.
Rollout checklist
- Assign an owner to each line.
- Decide where this document lives so it is findable.
- Review it on a set cadence rather than after a failure.
- Train new staff against it rather than by shadowing alone.
Frequently asked questions
Can we adapt this?
Yes — it is written to be edited. The value is having one version everyone follows, not this exact wording.
Which parts should we automate?
Completeness checking and chasing are the automatable steps and the ones most often skipped.
Keep going on MedReception.ai
MedFrontDesk.ai is the playbook library. MedReception.ai is the platform that runs it.