Fox Valley Family Physicians: The referral process

The referral process

In order to maintain a high level of care, a referral to a specialist is at times necessary.

Many insurance policies require you to get a written (or verbal) referral from your primary care physician before seeing a specialist. It is the responsibility of our patients to know whether their insurance policy requires them to obtain a referral. Failure to obtain one prior to your visit with the specialist will most likely result in your insurance company denying payment for your visit them. Please note: We cannot backdate referrals.

If you need a referral to see a specialist you should speak with a receptionist. The receptionist will need to know the following:

The patient’s name

Type of Insurance

Name of specialist (not group--we cannot refer to a group)

Reason for seeing a specialist

The date of your appointment with the specialist

We will then get the authorization from your physician and forward it on to the insurance company. They will send us an authorization number and you will be contacted that your referral is complete and can be picked up.

Please note that it generally takes 24 to 48 hours to complete a referral. Therefore, you must call well in advance of your appointment with your specialist to ensure that your referral is in place at the time of your appointment.

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