Quick Reference
Writing Referral Orders
Community physicians can use EpicCare Link order entry to write referral orders. This Quick Reference guide covers the
following information:
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•
•
•
•
Writing a referral order
Finding a patient not on the patient list
Viewing the referral order report
o Referral by Member
o Referral by Provider
o Order Review
Attaching an image or document to the order
Cancel the order
Writing the referral order
To write a referral order, follow these steps:
1. After logging in, click Pt Lists
2. Select the patient
NOTE: To find a patient not on Patient Lists, see “ Find patient not on Patient Lists” on Page 4 below.
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1. Click Orders
2. All clinics for which the user is associated within UNC CareLink display. Select the clinic from which the patient
is being referred.
3. Select the Authorizing Provider
4. Click Accept
When the Order Entry screen displays, place the order using one of two methods:
1. Select the referral order from the Preference List. Click the Preference List tab.
Locate the type of referral and click the check box to the left and click Accept Orders when done.
NOTE: Referral orders display in alphabetical order.
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2. Perform a free text search for the referral order. For example, to find all Cardiology related referral orders,
type in “card” and press Enter or click the Magnifying Glass.
Locate the type of referral and click on the referral name.
Referral orders appear in the Unsigned new orders section. The
to the left of the referral order name indicates
required items that must be completed before the order can be signed. To resolve the required items, click on the referral
order name.
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The two required items are:
1. Location – which specialty department you would like the patient to be seen.
a. All referral orders must be associated with a diagnosis. Search for and select the diagnosis. If a recent
diagnosis displays and it applies to the current order, select a recent diagnosis
NOTE: Comments are not required but can be used to add any additional information as to why the patient is
being referred.
b. Click Accept when done
You return to the Order Entry window. The joined rings are an indication that the order was associated with a
diagnosis. Click Sign Orders.
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Find a patient not on the Patient List
To write a referral order for a patient who does not appear on the Patient List, follow these steps:
1. Click Search All Patients located at the bottom of the patient list.
2. When the Patient Search window displays, type in the required patient information and click Search. Required patient
information includes:
a. Last Name, First Name
b. Select a gender from the list
c. Type in the Birth date in mm/dd/yyyy format
d. Click Search
If a match…
Then…
Is found
a. Click Select
b. Select a Reason for accessing a patient that is not on your patient list
c. Click Accept
NOTE: Clicking Accept adds the patient to the Patient List.
NOTE: Follow Step 2.1 above, to write the referral order.
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Is not found
Click Create a New Chart.
WARNING – before creating a new patient chart, make sure you have exhausted all possible search
options. If the patient exists and a new record is created the patient now has two active accounts and
will require the two charts to be merged at a later date.
Potential issues could be:
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•
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Misspelled patient name – search on all possible naming conventions
Incorrect gender - could have originally entered incorrectly
Try different birth date variations
When the Create a New Chart window displays, complete all required fields:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Home Phone in ###-###-#### format
Address
Select a State
City
Zip Code
All clinics for which the user is associated within UNC CareLink display. Select the clinic from
which the patient is being referred.
g. Click Create
NOTE: Follow Step 2.1 (above) to write the referral order.
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Viewing the Referral Order report or the Order Review report
Depending on the type of Information you are looking for, dictates which report to view.
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•
Use Referrals/Claims to view
o Referral by Member to see all referral orders submitted by the practice to UNC Health Care or Rex
 View the signed order details
 Add additional comments or add attachments after the order is signed
o Referral by Provider to see all referral orders submitted from UNC Health Care or Rex to the practice
 View the signed order details
 Add additional comments or add attachments
Use Order Review to
o View the appointment status
o Print the order requisition
o View the referred to department details
To view the Referral Order Report, follow these steps:
1. From the Pt Lists tab, select the patient.
2. Click Referrals/Claims.
Two options display:
1. Referral by Member - displays all referral orders submitted by the practice and is the default view.
2. Referral by Provider - displays all referral orders submitted from UNC Healthcare to the practice.
To view the report, click on the report ID.
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Referral by Member
Displays information about the Order. To read the report details, use the scroll bar on the right to scroll up and down.
Referral by Provider
To see all referral orders submitted from UNC Healthcare to the practice
a. Select the name of the provider to whom the patient was referred
b. Adjust the From Date and To Date to see all referrals between the date range
c. Click search
Displays information about the order status, when the order was created, who referred the patient and the specialty
to which the patient was referred. To view the report and/or add a note, add an attachment, click on the ID number.
NOTE: The From Date defaults to the current date. You may need to adjust the From Date and click Search to view
referral orders.
If a referral order is found, click the Referral ID number to read the report.
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To view the Order Review Report, follow these steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Click Orders > Orders Review
Adjust the From and To date range to isolate the orders for review
Select the Authorizing provider (Any is the default)
Click Search.
The Order Review screen displays and is where you will find the Order appointment status; either Appointment Needed or
Scheduled.
To find more detailed information; other appointment statuses and the Referred to Department Contact information, click
on the name of the order. In this example, Ambulatory Referral to Allergy.
Other appointment statuses that may display are:
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Scheduled
Completed
Canceled
No Show
Left without seen
Arrived
Present
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Adding an attachment and additional notes
While reading the report details add additional notes or attach documents and/or images. Click Add
Note/Attachment.
Select a Note Type from the Note Type List
Type in a Note Summary
Type in your note
To add an attachment (optional), click Browse and when the Choose File to Upload window displays:
1. Navigate to where the file is stored
2. Select the file
3. And click Open
e. When done, click Add Note
a.
b.
c.
d.
NOTE: You can only add attachments for the file types listed
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You return to the Referral note. To see any referral notes, scroll down to the Referral Notes section. If an attachment
was added, a hyperlink displays. Click the link to view the attachment.
Cancel a referral order
There are three ways cancel an order once it has been signed.
1. Before the order is signed
2. After the order is signed, but before exiting the Order Entry screen
3. After existing the patient record
1. To cancel an order before it is signed
Locate the order in the Unsigned new orders section and click the Trash Can.
2. After the order has been signed, you return to the Order Entry screen. The order displays in the Orders signed in this
encounter section. Locate the order in the Orders signed in this encounter section and click the trash can.
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When the Cancel Order window displays:
a. Select a Reason for canceling the order
b. Type any additional comments (not required)
c. Click Accept
3. To cancel an order once you have closed the patient record, select the patient from Pt Lists and follow these
steps:
a. Click Orders
b. All clinics for which the user is associated within UNC CareLink display. Select the clinic for the Authorizing
Provider and select the provider from the Authorizing Provider list.
c. Click Accept.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Click Order Review.
Adjust the From Date and To Date range
Select the Authorizing provider
Click Search
From the search results, click on the name of the order to be canceled
NOTE: The Appt Status initially displays Appointment Needed. Once the appointment is scheduled, the status changes
to Scheduled.
When the Order Report Details screen displays, click Cancel Order
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When the Cancel Order window displays:
a. Select a Reason for canceling the order
b. Type any additional comments (not required)
c. Click Accept
When you return to the Order Review screen, the Order Status is Canceled.
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