Do you have a referral?
Referrals are an important part of the process
When you ask your GP for a referral to see a specialist, it is important to request that they detail in the letter why they are referring you. A line with, ‘thank you for seeing Jane Smith’ does not assist the process and the specialist may ask for further clarification from the GP – this means it extends the time that you will have to wait for your initial consultation.
Your specialist wants to know why your GP has referred you – is it because you have had a skin check and a biopsy and there were some results they were not happy with in the pathology? Have they tried various treatments and your condition has not responded? We ask that you request that they document these in the referral letter and also include any pathology/radiology results.
What happens when your referral is sent through to the specialist?
Unfortunately, in regional centres, there are limited specialist availability. This makes the process of gaining an appointment difficult and in some cases, it may be a number of months before you will have your initial consultation. Your referral will go through a triage process with the specialist and be rated for the urgency – this is why we ask for detail. For example, if you have an open lesion near your eye, you may be triaged for an earlier appointment than someone who is referred for a rash on their arm.
A referral is also important so you can claim your rebate from Medicare – no referral means no rebate!
Every referral is important and we do aim to schedule an appointment as soon as the timetable permits, however, there are only so many minutes in a day, so some will need to wait longer than others.
If you have been referred by your GP to Dr Le and it has been a number of weeks and you have not heard from us, please give us a call on 02 6583 5607