Sheri Forsythe
Referral coordinator, Fishers
Answers the referral line and books the visit.
How it runs
From your call to our report
- 01
Step 1: You call or send the form
Say what you are asking: a second look, a test, shared care or a visit that should not wait. Chart notes and images can follow by your usual route.
- 02
Step 2: We confirm and book
The referral coordinator confirms the referral, picks the nearest office and calls the patient. Urgent referrals go to a doctor first.
- 03
Step 3: The patient is seen
The visit follows the usual order: history, vision, pressure, dilated exam and imaging. Plan on about an hour.
- 04
Step 4: The report reaches you
A written report goes to your office after the first visit, with what we found, what we did and when we see the patient next.
Which referral, how soon
What happens to each kind of referral
These are the usual times. A doctor reads every urgent referral the day it arrives.
| The reason for referral | How soon we book | Who sees the patient | What you get back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raised eye pressure or a glaucoma suspect | How soon we bookUsually within about two weeks | Who sees the patientAn optometrist, with a visual field test and nerve images | What you get backA report with pressure, fields and images |
| Diabetic eye exam | How soon we bookUsually within about three weeks | Who sees the patientAn optometrist, with a dilated exam and retinal images | What you get backThe result, in time for the next diabetes visit |
| Macular changes on a screening | How soon we bookUsually within about two weeks | Who sees the patientAn optometrist, with retinal images | What you get backThe images and a plan, and the hospital's eye service if it is needed |
| Red eye or pain that has not settled | How soon we bookCall first, and a doctor decides how soon | Who sees the patientThe doctor on call at the nearest office | What you get backA call or a report after the visit |
| Cataract: before and after the operation | How soon we bookBooked around the hospital's schedule | Who sees the patientAn optometrist, for the visits before and after | What you get backMeasurements, then the follow-up report |
What to send with a referral
From your office
The reason for the referral, in a line
Medicines and eye drops the patient uses
Recent images or visual fields, if you have them
A number for urgent questions
From the patient
Glasses and contact lenses
Vision and medical insurance cards
The referral, if the patient was given one
A driver, if the eyes will be dilated
What we send back
After the first visit
What we found, what we did, what we ask of your office and the date of the next visit.
After a change in the plan
A short note when a drop is started or stopped, when a test changes or when the hospital's eye service joins.
Shared-care letters
For patients we follow together, a letter at the end of each season of visits.
Images and fields, on request
Retinal images, nerve scans and visual fields, sent by the route your office uses.
Who answers the referral line
Leads glaucoma care and the shared-care plans with the hospital.
Referral form
Send a referral request
Leave your practice and a number, and the referral coordinator calls you to take the details.
Referral line(317) 555-0109
Questions from referring offices
Do you take referrals from any doctor?
Yes. Primary care, endocrinology, pediatrics and other eye doctors all send patients, and the process is the same for each.
Can the patient choose the office?
Yes. We book the one the patient prefers, and the chart is the same at all three.
Who sees the patient if the hospital needs to be involved?
We refer the patient to the hospital's eye service, send the images ahead and keep seeing the patient for the visits we share.
How do you want to hear about an urgent case?
Call the referral line, Monday to Friday. For sudden vision loss or an eye injury outside office hours, the patient should go to the nearest emergency room.
Refer a patient
Call the referral line, Monday to Friday, or send the referral form.