Most Ocean eReferrals are stored for 12 months after they are initiated. However, some eReferrals are stored for shorter or longer based on their status. These special cases are listed below:
- Incomplete
- Incomplete eReferrals will be stored for 30 days.
- Pending Booking
- If an estimated wait time longer than 12 months has been specified, the referral will be stored for the full duration of the estimated wait time.
- Booking Uncomfirmed & Booking Confirmed
- If the appointment is outside of the 12 month period, the eReferral will be stored for 30 days after the patient's booked appointment time.
- Booked at a Rapid Access Clinic
- If the referral is sent to a Rapid Access Clinic (assessment centre) and booked, the eReferral will be stored for 12 months after the initial assessment date.
- Forwarded (New)
- If the referral is forwarded to another listing, the eReferral will be stored for 12 months after the latest forward date.
- Assigned for Review
- If review is requested by another user at the site, the eReferral will be stored for 12 months after the date the review was requested.
Attachments have the same retention period as the referral they are attached to.
Deletion Warnings
Incomplete, Processed and Completed eReferrals don't trigger Deletion Warnings.
An eReferral with any other status will be moved to the "Deletion Warnings" folder 14 days in advance of being removed from Ocean. A Deletion Warning email notification will also go out to all Ocean Sites with access to the shared eReferral record.
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Storing an eReferral past scheduled removal
- If you would like Ocean to continue storing an eReferral with a Deletion Warning you can click the refresh symbol (circular arrow) at the end of the row to keep storing the eReferral for an additional 60 days.
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Checking when an eReferral will be removed
- If you would like to see the date that any referral is scheduled to be removed from Ocean, you can click on the "Action" menu and choose "View Event Log". The purge date will be displayed at the bottom of the event log.
Note: Your site may receive a "Deletion Warnings" email, only to find that there are no referrals in the "Deletion Warnings" folder. This could be the case if another user or stakeholder on the referral proceeded to "Complete" or "Process" the referral, or refresh the referral to extend the purge date.