Patients with HMO insurances are required by their insurance to see their primary care providers. When necessary, patients may be referred to specialists, radiology or other testing. Except for a few HMO insurances, patients will need an electronic or handwritten referral. Other times a prescription is the only referral completed. This is dependent upon the patient’s needs for further treatment and the type of insurance the patient carries.

If a particular test is ordered by the primary care provider, (MRI, CT scan, PET scan or nuclear study) the Referral Coordinator sends a request for special approval to an area hospital or radiology center. The special approval is called “prior authorization”, also known as “precertification” or pre cert for short. If a patient is unsuccessful in finding a specialist that accepts his/her insurance, our Referral Coordinator will be able to assist in locating a participating provider. In addition, the Referral Coordinator is also able to assist patients in setting up the actual appointment in either English or Spanish.