Referrals
Referrals to specialists or specialty clinics and groups are ordered by one of our clinicians during a visit or exam. Most specialist offices require a referral as well as medical records documenting the reason for the referral. Many insurances also require a referral from a Primary Care Physician in order to cover services provided by specialists.
Referrals ordered by our clinicians are directed to our Referral Coordinator. Our Referral Coordinator works closely with insurances and specialist physician offices and has a good rapport with many local offices. If you have questions about the status of a referral, our Referral Coordinator can be reached at our office by phone at 530-885-3851 extension 110. Patient's may also use our Patient Portal to submit questions online.
Routine Referrals are usually processed within 2-5 business days. After the referral has been processed, a copy is sent to the patient. The referral will include the name, address, and contact phone number of the specialist. Sometimes, specialist offices will contact patients to schedule an appointment before they have received their referral. If not, patients are encouraged to call the specialist indicated on the referral they receive in the mail to schedule an appointment.
Urgent Referrals are usually processed in less than 24-48 hours. Our Referral Coordinator and/or specialist will contact the patient by phone with important information regarding an urgent referral.
It is important to note that the specialists and specialist groups determine the level of urgency on all referrals they receive and their office schedules appointments accordingly.
The specialist or specialty group a referral is directed to depends largely on a patients insurance. Not all specialists are In-Network for all insurance plans. Our office takes every step to verify if a specialist is in each patients network before a referral is generated. Healthcare is a constantly changes environment and there are hundreds of specialists in our area. Vista Complete Care is not able to guarantee a specialist is in your network.