Referral Manager

/modules/referral-manager

Page purpose (designer & content owners — read first)

This page positions Referral Manager as Primoro’s end‑to‑end system for managing inbound and outbound referrals — giving practices clarity, ownership, and follow‑through across one of the most fragile workflows in dentistry.

It is not:

• a document scanning tool
• an email inbox replacement
• a passive list of referrals

It must communicate:

• Referral Manager is an optional add‑on module in the Operations Suite
• Referrals are tracked as structured records, not files or emails
• Ownership, follow‑up, and patient communication are built in
• Nothing is lost in inboxes, folders, or memory

Tone: calm, organised, dependable. Clear next steps. No ambiguity.

Hero

Referral Manager — referrals without the friction

Manage every referral from decision to outcome — without scanning paperwork, chasing inboxes, or losing touch with patients.

Referral Manager keeps referrals moving, teams aligned, and patients informed.

CTAs → Request a demo (/request-a-demo) → Explore the Operations Suite

What Referral Manager does

Referral Manager provides a single, structured system for managing referrals across three core routes:

• outbound referrals (patients referred out to specialists or providers)
• inbound referrals (patients referred into the practice)
• internal referrals (practitioner‑to‑practitioner referrals within the same practice or group)

Every referral is tracked with clear status, ownership, and next steps — from creation through booking, treatment, and report handling.

Where applicable, Referral Manager integrates with core NHS referral systems, allowing status updates and outcomes from NHS providers to be captured and reflected directly in the referral record rather than tracked separately.

Who it’s for

• reception and diary teams
• clinicians and specialists
• treatment coordinators
• practice managers
• group and multi‑site operators

Each role sees only what they need to act on, without clutter or duplication.

What it solves

• referrals managed via email chains and attachments
• paper letters scanned and manually filed
• missed or delayed follow‑ups
• patients unclear on what’s happening next
• no clear ownership or audit trail
• inconsistent referral handling across sites

Referral Manager replaces fragmentation with a shared, visible workflow.

Core capabilities

1) Structured referral records (no documents to scan)

Every referral is captured as a structured record inside Primoro:

• no scanning letters
• no filing emails
• no reliance on inboxes

Referral details, status, notes, and documents live in one place, linked to the patient.

2) Outbound referral tracking

Track referrals sent to external providers through clear stages:

• referral created and sent
• awaiting acknowledgement
• appointment booked
• treatment in progress
• report received
• referral completed

Each referral includes a patient, referring clinician, receiving provider, owner, and defined next steps.

3) Inbound referral management

Manage referrals received from other practices through a central inbound view:

• clear visibility of new referrals
• ownership assigned automatically or manually
• booking and follow‑up tracked
• no referrals lost in shared inboxes

Inbound and outbound referrals use the same consistent workflow model.

4) Automatic patient communication

Patients are kept informed automatically at key referral stages:

• confirmation when a referral is sent or received
• updates when appointments are booked
• reassurance while waiting on reports or providers

Messages are sent via the Communication Hub (app‑first, with fallback), removing manual reminders.

5) Ownership, tasks & follow‑up

Every referral has:

• a clear owner
• visible outstanding actions
• automatic task creation when follow‑up is required

No ambiguity about who is responsible for moving things forward.

6) Documents, reports & outcomes (structured, not filed)

• referral letters, reports, and outcomes are attached to the referral record
• clear visibility of what’s been sent and received
• supports governance, audits, and complaints handling

Documents are part of the referral, not buried in folders.

7) SLA‑based tracking & escalation

Referral timelines can be defined and monitored:

• approaching or breached SLAs are flagged
• automatic alerts and tasks are triggered
• stalled referrals surface early

This keeps referrals moving without manual chasing.

8) Group & multi‑site referral oversight

For groups and growing practices:

• standard referral workflows across sites
• central visibility of referral volumes and delays
• clearer management of specialist and partner relationships

Consistency without micromanagement.

9) Referral provider directory, updates & commercial governance

Referral Manager uses a centrally managed referral provider directory, similar to Lab Manager:

• referral partners are onboarded once
• provider details, requirements, and contacts are maintained centrally
• status updates and responses from providers feed directly back into the referral record

Where referrals involve commercial arrangements, Referral Manager can also support governed structures upfront:

• referral commission or fee models defined per provider
• clear rules set once and applied consistently
• optional generation of monthly or quarterly referral invoices to providers

When Financial Insights is enabled, referral activity can feed into structured records for reconciliation and reporting — without ad‑hoc spreadsheets or manual tracking.

How it fits within Primoro

Referral Manager works alongside:

• Appointment Manager — booking referred patients efficiently
• Communication Hub — automatic patient and provider updates
• Task Manager — follow‑ups, chasing, booking actions
• Performance Dashboards (when enabled) — referral volumes, delays, conversion
• AI Guardian (when enabled) — flags stalled or overdue referrals

Together, these modules create a closed‑loop referral workflow.

Governance & trust

Referral Manager is designed for clarity and accountability:

• role‑based access to referral records
• complete audit trail of actions and communications
• consistent handling across teams and sites
• reduced risk of missed or unmanaged referrals

Nothing hidden. Nothing dropped.

Visual guidance (for designers)

Design should emphasise flow and clarity:

• referral list with clear status and owner
• inbound vs outbound views
• timeline view showing patient updates
• task indicators for overdue referrals
• patient communication preview
• group view highlighting referral bottlenecks by site

Avoid document‑centric layouts — this is a workflow, not a filing system.

Frequently asked questions

Is this just a place to store referral letters?

No. Referral Manager tracks the entire referral journey — from the clinical decision to refer, through communication, booking, treatment, and final outcomes. It is a workflow system, not a document store.

Does this work for both NHS and private referrals?

Yes. Referral Manager supports both NHS and private referral workflows within the same structured system, with consistent tracking, ownership, and follow‑up.

Does this also handle internal referrals within the same practice or group?

Yes. Referral Manager fully supports internal referrals — such as dentist‑to‑dentist or practitioner‑to‑specialist referrals within the same practice or group. These use the same governed workflow as external referrals, including clear ownership, tasking, patient visibility, and full audit trail, removing reliance on informal handovers or memory.

How are external referral providers managed?

Referral providers are managed through a centrally maintained provider directory. Each provider is onboarded once, with details, requirements, and contacts governed centrally. Updates from providers feed directly into the referral record rather than being lost in inboxes.

Can referral updates and acknowledgements be tracked from providers?

Yes. Provider acknowledgements, status updates, responses, and reports are captured against the referral record, giving the practice full visibility of progress at all times.

Are patients kept informed automatically?

Yes. Patients receive automated updates at key referral stages — such as when a referral is sent, accepted, booked, or completed — without staff needing to remember to chase or message.

How does ownership and follow‑up work?

Every referral has a named owner and visible next actions. Tasks are created automatically when follow‑up is required, ensuring accountability and preventing referrals from stalling.

Can we see where referrals are getting stuck or delayed?

Yes. Referral timelines and SLAs can be defined and monitored, with overdue or stalled referrals flagged early so teams can intervene before patient experience is impacted.

Does this support referral commissions or commercial arrangements?

Yes. Where referrals involve agreed commercial structures, commission or fee models can be defined upfront per provider, with clear rules applied consistently.

How are referral commissions or fees invoiced?

Referral Manager can support monthly or quarterly referral invoicing to providers based on agreed rules and recorded referral activity.

How does this integrate with financial reporting?

When Financial Insights is enabled, referral activity can feed into structured financial records for reconciliation, reporting, and governance — without spreadsheets or manual tracking.

Is this suitable for group and multi‑site practices?

Yes. Referral Manager provides central oversight, consistent workflows, and a single source of truth for referral activity across multiple locations.

Final CTA

Keep referrals moving. Keep patients informed. Remove uncertainty.

→ Request a demo (/request-a-demo) → Explore the Operations Suite