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Email template to ask your doctor for a referral to a specialist

You need to see a specialist, such as a dermatologist, a cardiologist or a physical therapist, and either your insurance requires a referral first or the specialist's office will not book you without one. A referral is a note from your primary care doctor, the doctor you see for general care, telling the specialist and your insurer that the visit is medically needed. Plans that call themselves HMOs almost always require one; PPO plans usually do not, but many specialists still ask for one. Requesting it by email gives the office everything it needs in one place and gives you a record of when you asked, which helps if the referral gets lost between offices.

Before you send

  • The specialist's name, practice, phone and fax number, if you have already picked one. Referrals often still travel by fax, and the office needs to know where to send it.
  • Whether your plan requires the specialist to be in network. Check your insurer's website or card first, because a referral to an out-of-network doctor may not be covered.
  • The reason for the visit, in plain words, and how long the problem has been going on. The doctor has to write a reason on the referral.
  • Whether you have seen this doctor recently. Some practices will not write a referral without a visit in the last year, and some will ask you to come in first.
  • Whether your insurer also needs prior authorization, which is the insurer's own approval for the visit and is separate from the referral. Your insurance card or member website will say.
Subject Referral request for [specialist type] for [your name] 
Hi [practice name] team,

I'm a patient of Dr. [doctor's last name] and I'd like to ask for a referral to see a [specialist type, for example a dermatologist].

The reason is [a short description of the problem, for example a mole that has changed shape over the past two months]. [Anything already discussed at a past visit, or say you haven't raised it with the doctor yet.]

I'd like the referral sent to:
- [Specialist's name and practice]
- Phone [phone number], fax [fax number]

My insurance is [plan name and member ID], and I've checked that this specialist is in network. If the plan also needs prior authorization, please let me know whether your office handles that or I should call the insurer.

If Dr. [doctor's last name] would rather see me first, I'm happy to book a visit; just let me know. I'm hoping to see the specialist within [timeframe].

Thank you,
[Your name]
[Date of birth]
[Phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • The typical reply is either "sent, here's the referral number" or "the doctor wants to see you first." Both are fine. If you get a referral number, give it to the specialist's office when you book.
  • A bad answer is silence, or a referral sent to the wrong fax. After three business days, call the specialist's office and ask whether it arrived; that is faster than asking your doctor's office again.
  • If the doctor declines the referral, ask for the reason in writing. It's usually a request for a visit first, and one appointment clears it.
  • Referrals often have an expiration date and a number of allowed visits. Ask what they are, so you don't get a bill for visit number four.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Get me a referral to a specialist 
Hi StandIn,

Please get my primary care doctor's office to send a referral so I can book with a specialist.

My doctor: [doctor's name, practice, phone or email].
The specialist I want to see: [type of specialist, and the name and practice if I've chosen one].
The reason: [short description of the problem and how long it has been going on].
My insurance: [plan name and whether it needs a referral or prior authorization].
When I want to be seen: [timeframe].

If I haven't picked a specialist, find two or three in my network with openings and ask which one the doctor will refer to. Confirm with the specialist's office that the referral arrived, and tell me when I can book.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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