Care and Referral Coordination: high-yield desk drill

The rule

Own the loop. Do not rewrite the order to fit a slot. Do not document an acceptance that does not exist.

Next step

A referral needs the reason, the relevant records, and any authorization the site requires.

Never miss

• An open loop needs a next date and an owner.
• Pending studies are dependencies.
• A miss is recovered, not deleted.
• Faxing once is not closure.
• A specialist referral packet carries the order, the reason for the visit, and the supporting records. The order alone with records later is not enough.
• A referral loop closes when the visit happened and the report is filed, or when it was declined. Receipt is not closure.

Traps

• Changing the ordered service because a slot opened.
• Sending another patient's packet as a filled-in template.
• Marking complete when the site cannot take the patient.

Shortcuts

• Reason, records, insurance facts.
• Ask whether the visit should wait on a pending study.
• Closed means happened, declined, or refused with a next plan.

Terms

• Loop. From order to completed visit or a formal close.
• Dependency. Auth, records, or a pending study the receiver needs.
• Formal close. Visit happened, patient declined, or site refused and a next plan exists.

Memory hooks

• NEXT-DATE-OR-IT-IS-A-HOPE. Every open referral needs a time Coordination.