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Healthcare Management vocabulary · Patient Flow and Capacity

Referral

Meaning in healthcare management, with examples

/rɪˈfɜːrəl/nounCore term

In healthcare management, referral means: The act of sending a patient to another doctor, specialist, service or hospital for further assessment or treatment, or the letter or request that does this.

In Turkish: sevk, yönlendirme

How it is used

The verb is 'refer': a GP refers a patient to a specialist. Managers track referral numbers, where referrals come from and how long patients wait from referral to their first appointment. In many systems a referral is needed before insurance will pay for specialist care.

Example sentences

  1. We received over 300 referrals from family doctors for the new sleep clinic.

  2. Our target is to see urgent referrals within two weeks.

Common collocations

  • make a referral
  • receive a referral
  • urgent referral
  • referral letter
  • referral to treatment
  • primary careThe first point of contact with the health system, such as family doctors and local health centres, which deals with common problems, prevention and referrals.
  • secondary careSpecialist medical care, usually given in a general hospital, that patients receive after a referral or in an emergency.
  • waiting listA list of patients who are waiting for an appointment, test or operation, usually ordered by clinical priority and the date they were added.
  • outpatientA patient who visits a hospital or clinic for an appointment, test or treatment and goes home the same day without being admitted.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Patient Flow and Capacity

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.