Question

What are two (2) methods of tracking referrals?

Answer 1

Data Collection

• After the patient’s office visit is complete and he/she is checking out, write the appropriate referral information on the patient’s encounter form. Write legibly, making it easy for staff to recognize and classify correctly.

Reporting and Analysis

Once your data has been recorded for a full month, you can review the results. Productivity reports by physician will list the number of referrals issued to each specialty. Unusual numbers of referrals (either high or low) may require investigation to determine whether differences are attributable to variations in patient populations between physicians or are caused by different clinical styles.

Some managed care companies are comparing your referral utilization against your peers. Again, tracking your overall patient base and referral patterns may assist you in determining whether your results are skewed due to a particular patient base for that insurer.

Explanation: