Referrals are received from a number of different sources:
- Direct from Primary Care Providers (PCP): typically a phoned or faxed request for evaluation
along
with a provisional presenting problem. These requests are made with a
suggested time frame. If non-urgent they are booked for an initial evaluation.
If urgent the patient is called by a triage nurse, assessed and booked as
needed into urgent or emergent appointments (described in more detail below).
- Direct self referral: calls are received by the appointment
scheduling coordinators (ASC) who schedule patients for new patient
evaluations on a next available basis. Urgent care requests are forwarded to
the triage nurse for booking or referral as above.
- Community referrals: calls and requests for care are received from
a broad variety of sources including but not limited to: Community Agencies
(e.g. nursing homes); EAP sources (e.g. Polaroid EAP); Insurance Companies
(e.g. Pilgrim or Options); Educational Institutions: (e.g. colleges or grade
schools). All these referrals are received by the triage nurse and the patient
contacted and screened for level of care and acuity before being scheduled
with an appropriate clinician.
