Referral Management Definition

Referral Management

Definition

Coordinating specialty referrals: obtaining authorization, scheduling, transmitting records, and follow-up.

Related Procedures

Related clinical procedures include phlebotomy. Order of draw for vacuum tubes:

Gold/SST (serum separator)
Light blue (sodium citrate for coagulation)
Green (heparin for chemistry)
Lavender (EDTA for hematology/CBC)
Gray (sodium fluoride for glucose)

Preferred venipuncture site: Median cubital vein (first choice).

Workplace Applications

Workplace application of referral management requires fluency in medical terminology:

Prefix	Meaning
hyper-	above/excessive
poly-	many
a/an-	without
tachy-	fast

Suffix	Meaning
-otomy	incision into
-itis	inflammation
-emia	blood condition
-ectomy	surgical removal

Calculation Methods

Reference values and calculations for referral management. Urinalysis normal ranges:

pH: 4.5-8.0
Specific gravity: 1.005-1.030
Protein: negative
Glucose: negative
WBC: 0-5/HPF
RBC: 0-3/HPF
Bacteria: negative

Practical Example

Clinical Procedure: Temperature measurement is relevant to referral management.

Technique: Oral (under tongue, lips closed, 3-5 min), tympanic (pull ear up and back for adults), temporal (across forehead)

Normal values: Oral: 97.8-99.1 F. Rectal: +1 F. Axillary: -1 F. Tympanic: close to core.

Step-by-Step Procedure

Procedure: Pulse measurement (relevant to referral management).

Technique: Radial (most common), count 60 sec if irregular. Apical: left MCL, 5th ICS, count 60 sec. Pulse deficit: apical minus radial.

Normal values: Normal adult: 60-100 bpm. Tachycardia over 100, bradycardia under 60.

Why It Matters

Referral coordination tested on MA exam.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What coding system is used for referral management?▼

For referral management: CPT: Procedure coding with 5-digit numeric codes, maintained by AMA. Examples: 99213: Established patient office visit (low complexity); 36415: Venipuncture; 93000: Electrocardiogram (12-lead).

What lab values are associated with referral management?▼

For referral management: BMP: Glucose: 70-100 mg/dL (fasting); BUN: 7-20 mg/dL; Creatinine: 0.7-1.3 mg/dL.

What medical terminology applies to referral management?▼

For referral management: Prefixes: hyper- (above/excessive), tachy- (fast), brady- (slow). Suffixes: -osis (abnormal condition), -ostomy (surgical opening), -otomy (incision into).