referral

referral The recommendation of a medical or paramedical professional. If one gets a referral to ophthalmology, for example, the person is being sent to the eye doctor. In health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and other managed-care schemes, a referral is usually necessary in order to see any practitioner or specialist other than the primary care physician (PCP) and have the service covered. The referral is obtained from the PCP, who may require a telephone or office consultation first. The term referral can pertain both to the act of sending a patient to another physician or therapist and to the actual paper authorizing the visit.