Referrals for specialist treatment
If your GP or allied health professional has determined that the next steps in your treatment are required, they may suggest you see a specialist and provide you with a referral.
Your GP may have a specialist in mind, but you can also ask to be referred to a preferred provider. Not sure why you would see one specialist over another? Aside from word of mouth and recommendations from friends or family, things like location (where the specialist practises and how close this is to your home or work) or billing method may influence your decision.
If you see a specialist who participates in GMHBA’s Access Gap Cover scheme it may reduce your out-of-pocket expenses for inpatient medical treatment.
You can talk to your GP about providing a list of relevant specialists or use our Find a Provider tool to search for medical specialists in your area by name, type, hospital or treatment and see if they participate in the Access Gap Cover scheme.
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Patients can be referred to a specialist or consultant physician for treatment of their condition. The referral must include:
- relevant clinical information about the patient’s condition for investigation, opinion, treatment and/or management
- the date of the referral, and
- the signature of the referring practitioner
Referrals don’t need to be made out to a certain specialist or consultant physician. Even if they are, they can be used for any specialist or consultant physician in the same medical specialty.
A referral letter does not necessarily mean you will be having surgery. A referral is the introduction to a physician that specialises in the area that you require further investigation for.