Automated referral requests and tracking

Purpose

1.1. Automates the process of requesting patient referrals from providers and tracking their status throughout the referral lifecycle.
1.2. Automatedly ensures seamless communication between community health centres, patients, and partner clinics, reducing manual follow-up.
1.3. Automates notification to both patients and stakeholders about referral progress, appointment scheduling, and completion status.
1.4. Enables reporting and analytics on referral effectiveness, source analysis, and bottleneck identification using automation.
1.5. Provides an automatable feedback loop for outcome documentation and quality improvement.

Trigger Conditions

2.1. New patient case requiring specialist attention identified in EMR/EHR.
2.2. Manual or automated provider entry of referral request in healthcare CRM.
2.3. Receipt of incoming referral from external partner.
2.4. Status change of referral in EMR/EHR or CRM (e.g., “In Progress”, “Completed”).
2.5. Time-based trigger: no update detected within automated predefined period.

Platform Variants

3.1. Salesforce Health Cloud
• Feature/Setting: Process Automation Builder for referral object; configure auto-notifications and workflow rules.
3.2. Cerner Millennium
• Feature/Setting: PowerChart Referral Management; automate event-driven alerts and status change tracking.
3.3. Epic Systems
• Feature/Setting: Referrals Module with Interconnect API; automate referral creation, updates, and tracking notifications.
3.4. Athenahealth
• Feature/Setting: API v1/referrals endpoint; configure webhooks to automatically trigger on new/updated referrals.
3.5. Allscripts
• Feature/Setting: eReferral Automated Workflows via Unity API; automate real-time referral and status push.
3.6. Meditech Expanse
• Feature/Setting: PCS Referral Tracking; set automated alerts for incomplete or delayed referrals.
3.7. Twilio SMS
• Feature/Setting: Messaging API; automate SMS notifications to patients/providers on referral status.
3.8. SendGrid
• Feature/Setting: Transactional Templates/Email API; automatically email referral updates and reminders.
3.9. Microsoft Power Automate
• Feature/Setting: Automated cloud flows integrating EMR data events and notification delivery.
3.10. Zapier
• Feature/Setting: Multi-step zap; automate referral intake from forms, send to EHR, and trigger notifications.
3.11. Slack
• Feature/Setting: Incoming Webhooks; automate channel updates on referral progression or issues.
3.12. Google Sheets
• Feature/Setting: App Script automation; log and update referral statuses automatically from intake forms.
3.13. AirTable
• Feature/Setting: Automations; automatically create record, update statuses, and send tracked notifications.
3.14. DocuSign
• Feature/Setting: eSignature API; automate patient consent for referrals and track completion status.
3.15. Formstack
• Feature/Setting: Workflow Forms; automate referral intake and routing to appropriate provider.
3.16. CareCloud
• Feature/Setting: API integrations; automate referral generation and cross-system status updates.
3.17. HubSpot CRM
• Feature/Setting: Workflows Automation; automate referral tasks and contact follow-ups.
3.18. Gmail
• Feature/Setting: Gmail API; automatically send or flag referral communications by trigger event.
3.19. Outlook 365
• Feature/Setting: Power Automate flows; automate sending referral updates and tasks.
3.20. Intercom
• Feature/Setting: Automated Messaging; program automated outreach to patients/providers on referral status.

Benefits

4.1. Automates repetitive referral communications, freeing staff for direct care.
4.2. Automated tracking minimizes lost or delayed referrals, improving patient outcomes.
4.3. Automation provides real-time insights, empowering better resource allocation.
4.4. Multichannel automated reminders and updates increase patient/provider engagement.
4.5. Automator reduces administrative errors, accelerates the referral process, and enhances auditability for compliance.