client referral
referral patterns
self-referral
patient referral
legal and regulatory issues
concepts
secondary care
Originally an informal method by which patients in need of specialized care were sent to a more advanced practitioner by their personal physician, today referral indicates a technique by which managed care plans seek to control the use of medical services by their members. Many plans require that to obtain any care except that provided by a patient's primary care physician (PCP), the patient must obtain a written referral from that physician (who is sometimes called a gatekeeper). [Source: Health Care Policy and Politics A to Z; Referral]
referral