Guide to Receiving eReferrals

Understanding the eReferrals & eConsults View

Learn how to navigate Ocean's eReferrals & eConsults area, and the basic sections within an eReferral.

The eReferrals & eConsults view is used for viewing, tracking, and managing all of your eReferrals in one central area. Learning the basic functionalities of this area will allow you to confidently navigate Ocean and handle your referrals with ease.

eReferrals & eConsults View Opening an eReferral

The diagram below outlines the key areas and functionalities in the eReferrals & eConsults view.

1. Filtering

To find a specific referral, type into the search bar. You can search by patient surname, or the names of the related healthcare providers.

If your Ocean Site owns multiple Directory Listings, you can filter by listing using the dropdown menu.

2. General Folders

The general folders are used to flag referrals that need to be reviewed, referrals that have been flagged for your specific attention, and referrals you have recently viewed.

3. Status Folders

The 'Received' and 'Sent' folders contain individual status folders which are used to organize referrals as they progress through their lifecycle. The specific purpose of each status folder is defined in this support article.

4. Actions Menu

Used for quick access and advanced functionalities, including creating manual inbound requests, launching the Ocean Healthmap, claiming a printed Ocean requisition, exporting your referrals, bulk updating your wait times, and viewing a patient's referral history.

5. Patient Referral List

Shows basic information about the patient referrals that match your currently selected folder and applied filter.

6. Status Icons

Used for quickly indicating relevant statuses and characteristics for each referral. A full legend for all icons is found in this support article.

7. Settings Button

Used for accessing the configuration options available for eReferrals & eConsults at your Ocean Site.

A referral can be opened by simply clicking on it from the patient referral list. The diagram below outlines the key areas and functionalities within a referral.

1. Health Service Offering

The patient's name, health service offering that they were referred for, and MRN/EMR ID number are displayed at the top of the referral.

2. Action Menu

Used to action and manage the referral from directly within. Each action menu item is described in detail in this support article.

3. General

Contains basic information regarding the patient, the referrer, the date of the referral, and any additional stakeholders copied on the referral.

4. Notes

Used for general and/or private note-taking regarding the referral, as well as advanced functionalities such as the review/triage form, and specifying dates affecting readiness to consult/treat.

5. Messaging

Used for communicating with other referral stakeholders. Common use cases include requesting additional information prior to accepting/declining a referral (e.g., lab values, imaging results).

6. Referral Form Summary

Contains a note summarizing the referrer's responses to the referral form questions/criteria during the referral sending process.

7. Patient's Note

If the patient recently completed an Ocean eForm(s), or any Secure Messages were sent and/or responded to, the resultant note(s) will be displayed here.

Providers with an Ocean Patient Messages license can use the envelope icon to send a secure message and/or additional digital questionnaires to the patient.

8. Scheduling

Used for scheduling appointment dates or estimating wait times, specifying the appointment medium, and including comments or attachments for the patient and referrer.

9. Needs Review

Used to assign a referral to be reviewed by another user on your Ocean site.

10. Action Buttons

Used to accept or decline the referral.
Accepting & Declining eReferrals

Learn how to accept, decline, and import eReferrals into your EMR.

1. Receive an email notification and access the eReferral
- When you receive a new eReferral, you will receive an email notification based on your notification configuration.
- Log in to the Ocean Portal, and use the menu to navigate to the 'eReferrals & eConsults' area.
- Locate the eReferral under the 'Received' tab and within the 'New' status folder. Click on the referral to open it and view more details.
  
  Tip: Certain columns can be used to sort your referrals into ascending/descending order. Simply click the column header.
2. Review and accept or decline the eReferral
- After opening the eReferral, review it's contents to gain a more detailed understanding of the referral and ensure it contains all of the information you require.
  
  Tip: If necessary, you can assign the referral to be reviewed by another user on your Ocean site for a secondary review.
- Use the 'Decline' or 'Accept' button at the bottom of the referral to indicate your decision.
Accept Decline
PS Suite Med Access Accuro OSCAR OSCAR Pro Other EMR
PS Suite with Cloud Connect Integration

When you accept a new referral and your PS Suite EMR is integrated using Cloud Connect, Ocean will search for the patient in your EMR with the matching healthcard number and automatically import the referral note into the corresponding chart as a new encounter note.

If no corresponding chart is found, a new chart will be generated and populated with the referral information.

If Ocean automatically generated a new patient chart and the name of the referring provider already exists in your PS Suite address book, the 'Referring MD/NP' chart field will also be updated with the referrer's name.

Note: Ocean matches the referring provider's information with the PS Suite address book using First Name and Last Name.

If more than one provider exists in the PS Suite address book with the same first and last name, Ocean uses the referrer's fax number to match with the correct provider.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, and fax number, Ocean will not update 'Referring MD/NP' field.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, but no matching fax number is found, Ocean will not update 'Referring MD/NP' field.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.

PS Suite without Cloud Connect Integration

If your PS Suite EMR is not integrated using Cloud Connect, you will be provided with an numeric code to import the referral into your EMR using the following steps:

Manually navigate into the patient's chart in PS Suite. If the patient does not yet exist in the EMR, create a new stub chart.

You can then use the 'Import' button on the Ocean Toolbar to import the patient's eReferral using the provided numeric code. The patient's demographic fields will automatically update the chart when the referral is imported, and a new encounter note containing the referral summary will be generated.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.
When you accept a new eReferral, the referral information will be automatically imported as a new Active Task in the patient's chart with the matching healthcard number in your Med Access EMR.

If no chart with a matching healthcard number is found, Ocean will automatically generate a new chart and import the referral notes into it. The patient's demographic fields will also automatically update in the patient's chart.

Note: The 'Patient Status' field in new charts generated by Ocean will be set by default to 'Unconfirmed'. Ensure that you update the status to 'Active' (or your preferred status) after accepting the referral.

If Ocean automatically generated a new patient chart and the name of the referring provider already exists in your Med Access address book, the 'Referring Provider' chart field will also be updated with the referrer's name.

Note: Ocean matches the referring provider's information with the Med Access address book using First Name and Last Name.

If more than one provider exists in the Med Access address book with the same first and last name, Ocean uses the referrer's fax number to match with the correct provider.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, and fax number, Ocean will not update 'Referring Provider' field.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, but no matching fax number is found, Ocean will not update 'Referring Provider' field.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.
When you accept a new eReferral, the referral note will be automatically imported into the patient's chart in Accuro with the matching healthcard number.

Depending on your Cloud Connect configuration, the referral note will either appear as an Encounter Note or a Document.

If no chart with a matching healthcard number is found, Ocean will automatically generate a new chart and import the referral notes into it. The patient's demographic fields will also automatically update in the patient's chart.

If Ocean automatically generated a new patient chart and the name of the referring provider already exists in your Accuro address book, the 'Referring Phys' chart field will also be updated with the referrer's name.

Note: Ocean matches the referring provider's information with the Accuro address book using First Name and Last Name.

If more than one provider exists in the Accuro address book with the same first and last name, Ocean uses the referrer's fax number to match with the correct provider.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, and fax number, Ocean will not update 'Referring Phys' field.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, but no matching fax number is found, Ocean will not update 'Referring Phys' field.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.
If you are using OSCAR, you will be provided with a numeric code to import the referral into your EMR using the following steps:

Manually navigate into the patient's chart in your OSCAR EMR. If the patient chart does not yet exist, create a new stub chart.

Press the 'Import' button on the Ocean Toolbar in the patient's chart, and enter the numeric code provided earlier.

Confirm that the patient you are importing from the eReferral matches the patient information of the chart you are importing the referral into.

The referral information will then be imported into the EMR chart as a new encounter note. The patient demographic fields in the EMR will also automatically update when the eReferral is imported.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.
When you accept a new eReferral, the referral note will be automatically imported into the patient's chart in OSCAR Pro with the matching healthcard number.

The referral note is imported in PDF format into the 'Documents' area of the chart, and the Ocean Toolbar is reflected to show the number of active eReferrals.

Note: It may take up to 1 hour for the number of active eReferrals to update.

If no chart with a matching healthcard number is found, Ocean will automatically generate a new chart and import the referral notes into it. The patient's demographic fields will also automatically update in the patient's chart.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.
If you use non-integrated EMR, you can download the referral after accepting it and manually upload it into your EMR as a PDF.

Tip: You can download a copy of the referral record at any time.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.
- If declining an eReferral, you will be prompted to enter a reason for the declination, with the option to provide an additional message for the declination email notifications.
- If the patient consented to email notifications, you can additionally choose whether or not the patient should also receive the declination email notification.
- The referral will be automatically moved to the 'Declined' status folder.
Messaging within an eReferral

Learn how to communicate with other referral stakeholders using the Messaging functionality.

When processing and managing incoming eReferrals, it can be necessary to communicate with the other referral stakeholders to gain additional or missing information. This is achieved using the 'Messaging' area within an eReferral.

Optional Step

Note: This is an optional step in the Guide to Receiving eReferrals, since it may not always be relevant or necessary to communicate with other referral stakeholders.

How do I send a message?
- Within the 'Messaging' area, simply select the appropriate message recipient (if multiple parties are involved in the referral), type your message into the text box, optionally add an attachment, and press 'Send'.
  
  Tip: For increased efficiency, you can also create canned responses for your Ocean Site that are easily selectable using the speech bubble icon.
- The message recipient will receive an email notification that you have sent them a message.
  
  Note: All messages within an eReferral are visible to all referral stakeholders.
Additional Message Functionalities
- Once a message has been sent, additional functionalities can be accessed by clicking clicking on the message header.
- Note: The 'Amend' and 'Delete' options are only available to the user who sent the message.
Download Addendum Letter

Downloads a PDF document containing basic eReferral information and the selected message.

Amend

Copies the selected message into the new message text field, to allow for additional information to be added.

Delete

Deletes the message.
Scheduling the Referral Appointment

Learn how to add appointment details to eReferrals in order to update patients and referring providers with appointment dates, times, mediums, and other scheduling details.

Appointment information can be added, edited, or removed by referral recipients at any point in an eReferral's lifecycle. This allows for patient and referring providers to stay up to date with the latest appointment dates, times, mediums, and other scheduling details.
PS Suite Med Access Accuro OSCAR Pro OSCAR Other EMRs
Note: The patient must have a valid Health Number associated with their referral for Ocean to sync the correct appointment details from PS Suite via the Custom Form.

Download and Install the Custom Form

Note: Downloading and installing the custom form is a one-time step for each workstation.
- Download the "Ocean eReferral Appointment Notification Custom Form" (.cfm file) by clicking the following button:
  Ocean eReferral Appointment Notification Custom Form
- Install the custom form in PS Suite. For instructions on adding a custom form file, refer to the steps outlined in our instructions for installing the Ocean Toolbar and Custom Form: Download & Install the Ocean Custom Form and Toolbar)
Schedule the Appointment and Update the eReferral
- Book the patient's appointment into the PS Suite schedule.
- Open the patient's chart and verify that the "next visit" area in the top of the chart lists the date of the newly booked appointment.
- From the menu bar in the chart, select "View" > "Custom Form" (or use the keyboard shortcut F2) to open the custom form window
- Locate and select "Ocean eReferral Appointment Notification" from the list and click the "Choose This Form" button.
- The custom form will open a new browser window showing the Patient's Dashboard and their relevant referrals. Select the appropriate referral.
- The details from the appointment booked in the EMR will automatically be available for selection within the 'Scheduling' area. Select the appointment date to add it to the referral.
  
  Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.
- Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.
  
  Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.
- To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.
- Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.
  
  Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.
- Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.
  
  The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).
Schedule the Appointment
- Book the patient's appointment into the Med Access schedule.
Update the Referral
- Open the patient's chart in the EMR, and press the 'Launch' button.
- Locate the 'Ocean' extension module, press the three dots on the right, and then select 'Send Appointment Notification'.
- A new tab will open showing the Patient's Dashboard and their relevant referrals. Select the appropriate referral by clicking on it.
- The details from the appointment booked in the EMR will automatically be available for selection within the 'Scheduling' area. Select the appointment date to add it to the referral.
  
  Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.
- Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.
  
  Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.
- To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.
- Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.
  
  Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.
- Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.
  
  The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).
Configure the Send Appointment Notification CDS Link

Note: Configuring the CDS link is a one-time step for each EMR user.

For instructions on setting up the 'Send Appointment Notification' CDS link, refer to this support article.

Schedule the Appointment and Update the eReferral
- Select the relevant patient in Accuro.
- Book the patient's appointment in the Accuro schedule.
- Select the Send Appointment Notification CDS link or the equivalent user-friendly button.
- The Patient Dashboard will launch in a new window, and you will be prompted to select the relevant referral to update.
- The details from the appointment booked in the EMR will automatically be available for selection within the 'Scheduling' area. Select the appointment date to add it to the referral.
  
  Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.
- Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.
  
  Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.
- To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.
- Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.
  
  Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.
- Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.
  
  The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).
Create a Shortcut to the Ocean eForm on the OSCAR Pro Schedule

Note: Creating the shortcut to the Ocean eForm is a one-time step.

For instructions on creating a shortuct to the Ocean eForm on the schedule, refer to this supprt article.

Schedule the Appointment and Update the eReferral
- Book the patient's appointment into the OSCAR Pro schedule.
- Press the 'Oc.' shortcut on the appointment to open the Ocean eForm.
- Select 'Update Referral'.
- The Patient Dashboard will launch in a new window, and you will be prompted to select the relevant referral to update.
- The details from the appointment booked in the EMR will automatically be available for selection within the 'Scheduling' area. Select the appointment date to add it to the referral.
  
  Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.
- Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.
  
  Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.
- To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.
- Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.
  
  Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.
- Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.
  
  The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).
Schedule the Appointment
- Book the patient's appointment into the OSCAR schedule.
Update the Referral
- Open the patient's chart in the EMR, and press the 'Patient Summary' button on the Ocean Toolbar.
- A new tab will open showing the Patient's Dashboard and their relevant referrals. Select the appropriate referral by clicking on it.
- Within the 'Scheduling' area of the referral, manually add the appointment date and time that matches the appointment booked in the OSCAR schedule.
  
  Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.
- Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.
  
  Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.
- To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.
- Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.
  
  Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.
- Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.
  
  The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).
Schedule the Appointment
- Book the patient's appointment into your non-integrated EMR.
Update the Referral
- Log in to the Ocean Portal, and navigate to the 'eReferrals & eConsults' area.
- Locate the relevant patient referral in the 'Pending Booking' folder. Click on it to open it.
- Within the 'Scheduling' area of the referral, manually add the appointment date and time that matches the appointment booked in the EMR schedule.
  
  Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.
- Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.
  
  Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.
- To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.
- Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.
  
  Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.
- Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.
  
  The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).
Completing the Referral

Learn how to mark a referral as 'Completed' to close the loop on its lifecycle.

Once the scheduled appointment date for the referral has passed, you are able to mark the referral as completed.
- Locate the referral within its current status folder. This is typically either the 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder.
- Open the referral, and press the 'Completed' button at the bottom.
  
  Note: If you are using Med Access, Accuro or OSCAR Pro, a final copy of the referral record will be automatically downloaded into the patient's chart in your EMR.
  
  For other EMRs, you can manually download a final copy of the referral record.
- The referral will be automatically moved to the 'Completed' status folder.
Are referrals deleted after they are moved into the 'Completed' status folder?

Moving a referral into the 'Completed' status folder has no impact on how long the referral is stored in Ocean. Referrals are always kept for 365 days from the date the referral was sent OR for 30 days after the last appointment date (in the case of an appointment being that is scheduled after the 365-day default). For more details on Ocean's deletion rules, please see the article here.
- If you would like to see the specific date that a referral is scheduled to be removed from Ocean, you can click on the "Action" menu within the referral, and choose "View Event Log". The specific removal date will be displayed at the bottom of the event log.
Advanced Features and Best Practices

Explore advanced features for managing your referrals, along with additional best practices.

Optional Step

Note: While this guide provides an overview of the main steps to receiving and handling an eReferral, optional information on advanced features and best practices is also available below.
- Viewing a Patient's Referral History - If you ever need to inquire about any Ocean eReferral(s) that have been received and processed for a certain patient in the past, you can easily look this up in the patient's eReferral history in Ocean.
- Adding Notes to an eReferral - The 'Notes' area within an eReferral can be used for general documentation regarding the request.
- Downloading the Referral Record - You are able to download a complete copy of the entire referral record at any point in time.
- Creating Inbound Requests - If your Ocean site receives referrals by phone or fax, you can convert these into Ocean eReferrals by creating a New Inbound Referral.
- Backing Up Your eReferrals - It's a good idea to keep a backup of all your Ocean eReferrals, as they are purged from the Ocean Portal over time.
- Accessing eReferral Analytics - Ocean sites receiving eReferrals can access analytic data about eReferrals received over time.
- Batch Printing Received eReferrals - If your Ocean site receives referrals and would like to print or download a PDF copy to maintain with your patient records, this can be done using Ocean's batch print function.
- Automatically Marking your Referrals as Complete - If you're managing your referrals in another external system, you can automatically mark your referrals as 'Complete' in Ocean
Tip: You can review the full eReferrals FAQ section for additional information on even more topics.

Understanding the eReferrals & eConsults View

Learn how to navigate Ocean's eReferrals & eConsults area, and the basic sections within an eReferral.

The eReferrals & eConsults view is used for viewing, tracking, and managing all of your eReferrals in one central area. Learning the basic functionalities of this area will allow you to confidently navigate Ocean and handle your referrals with ease.

The diagram below outlines the key areas and functionalities in the eReferrals & eConsults view.

1. Filtering: To find a specific referral, type into the search bar. You can search by patient surname, or the names of the related healthcare providers.; If your Ocean Site owns multiple Directory Listings, you can filter by listing using the dropdown menu.
2. General Folders: The general folders are used to flag referrals that need to be reviewed, referrals that have been flagged for your specific attention, and referrals you have recently viewed.
3. Status Folders: The 'Received' and 'Sent' folders contain individual status folders which are used to organize referrals as they progress through their lifecycle. The specific purpose of each status folder is defined in this support article.
4. Actions Menu: Used for quick access and advanced functionalities, including creating manual inbound requests, launching the Ocean Healthmap, claiming a printed Ocean requisition, exporting your referrals, bulk updating your wait times, and viewing a patient's referral history.
5. Patient Referral List: Shows basic information about the patient referrals that match your currently selected folder and applied filter.
6. Status Icons: Used for quickly indicating relevant statuses and characteristics for each referral. A full legend for all icons is found in this support article.
7. Settings Button: Used for accessing the configuration options available for eReferrals & eConsults at your Ocean Site.

A referral can be opened by simply clicking on it from the patient referral list. The diagram below outlines the key areas and functionalities within a referral.

1. Health Service Offering: The patient's name, health service offering that they were referred for, and MRN/EMR ID number are displayed at the top of the referral.
2. Action Menu: Used to action and manage the referral from directly within. Each action menu item is described in detail in this support article.
3. General: Contains basic information regarding the patient, the referrer, the date of the referral, and any additional stakeholders copied on the referral.
4. Notes: Used for general and/or private note-taking regarding the referral, as well as advanced functionalities such as the review/triage form, and specifying dates affecting readiness to consult/treat.
5. Messaging: Used for communicating with other referral stakeholders. Common use cases include requesting additional information prior to accepting/declining a referral (e.g., lab values, imaging results).
6. Referral Form Summary: Contains a note summarizing the referrer's responses to the referral form questions/criteria during the referral sending process.
7. Patient's Note: If the patient recently completed an Ocean eForm(s), or any Secure Messages were sent and/or responded to, the resultant note(s) will be displayed here.; Providers with an Ocean Patient Messages license can use the envelope icon to send a secure message and/or additional digital questionnaires to the patient.
8. Scheduling: Used for scheduling appointment dates or estimating wait times, specifying the appointment medium, and including comments or attachments for the patient and referrer.
9. Needs Review: Used to assign a referral to be reviewed by another user on your Ocean site.
10. Action Buttons: Used to accept or decline the referral.

Accepting & Declining eReferrals

Learn how to accept, decline, and import eReferrals into your EMR.

1. Receive an email notification and access the eReferral

When you receive a new eReferral, you will receive an email notification based on your notification configuration.
Log in to the Ocean Portal, and use the menu to navigate to the 'eReferrals & eConsults' area.

Locate the eReferral under the 'Received' tab and within the 'New' status folder. Click on the referral to open it and view more details.

Tip: Certain columns can be used to sort your referrals into ascending/descending order. Simply click the column header.

2. Review and accept or decline the eReferral

After opening the eReferral, review it's contents to gain a more detailed understanding of the referral and ensure it contains all of the information you require.

Tip: If necessary, you can assign the referral to be reviewed by another user on your Ocean site for a secondary review.

Use the 'Decline' or 'Accept' button at the bottom of the referral to indicate your decision.

PS Suite with Cloud Connect Integration

When you accept a new referral and your PS Suite EMR is integrated using Cloud Connect, Ocean will search for the patient in your EMR with the matching healthcard number and automatically import the referral note into the corresponding chart as a new encounter note.
If no corresponding chart is found, a new chart will be generated and populated with the referral information.

If Ocean automatically generated a new patient chart and the name of the referring provider already exists in your PS Suite address book, the 'Referring MD/NP' chart field will also be updated with the referrer's name.

Note: Ocean matches the referring provider's information with the PS Suite address book using First Name and Last Name.

If more than one provider exists in the PS Suite address book with the same first and last name, Ocean uses the referrer's fax number to match with the correct provider.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, and fax number, Ocean will not update 'Referring MD/NP' field.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, but no matching fax number is found, Ocean will not update 'Referring MD/NP' field.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.

PS Suite without Cloud Connect Integration

If your PS Suite EMR is not integrated using Cloud Connect, you will be provided with an numeric code to import the referral into your EMR using the following steps:

Manually navigate into the patient's chart in PS Suite. If the patient does not yet exist in the EMR, create a new stub chart.

You can then use the 'Import' button on the Ocean Toolbar to import the patient's eReferral using the provided numeric code. The patient's demographic fields will automatically update the chart when the referral is imported, and a new encounter note containing the referral summary will be generated.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.

When you accept a new eReferral, the referral information will be automatically imported as a new Active Task in the patient's chart with the matching healthcard number in your Med Access EMR.
If no chart with a matching healthcard number is found, Ocean will automatically generate a new chart and import the referral notes into it. The patient's demographic fields will also automatically update in the patient's chart.
Note: The 'Patient Status' field in new charts generated by Ocean will be set by default to 'Unconfirmed'. Ensure that you update the status to 'Active' (or your preferred status) after accepting the referral.

If Ocean automatically generated a new patient chart and the name of the referring provider already exists in your Med Access address book, the 'Referring Provider' chart field will also be updated with the referrer's name.

Note: Ocean matches the referring provider's information with the Med Access address book using First Name and Last Name.

If more than one provider exists in the Med Access address book with the same first and last name, Ocean uses the referrer's fax number to match with the correct provider.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, and fax number, Ocean will not update 'Referring Provider' field.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, but no matching fax number is found, Ocean will not update 'Referring Provider' field.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.

When you accept a new eReferral, the referral note will be automatically imported into the patient's chart in Accuro with the matching healthcard number.

Depending on your Cloud Connect configuration, the referral note will either appear as an Encounter Note or a Document.

If no chart with a matching healthcard number is found, Ocean will automatically generate a new chart and import the referral notes into it. The patient's demographic fields will also automatically update in the patient's chart.

If Ocean automatically generated a new patient chart and the name of the referring provider already exists in your Accuro address book, the 'Referring Phys' chart field will also be updated with the referrer's name.

Note: Ocean matches the referring provider's information with the Accuro address book using First Name and Last Name.

If more than one provider exists in the Accuro address book with the same first and last name, Ocean uses the referrer's fax number to match with the correct provider.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, and fax number, Ocean will not update 'Referring Phys' field.

If multiple providers have the same first name, last name, but no matching fax number is found, Ocean will not update 'Referring Phys' field.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.

If you are using OSCAR, you will be provided with a numeric code to import the referral into your EMR using the following steps:

Manually navigate into the patient's chart in your OSCAR EMR. If the patient chart does not yet exist, create a new stub chart.
Press the 'Import' button on the Ocean Toolbar in the patient's chart, and enter the numeric code provided earlier.
Confirm that the patient you are importing from the eReferral matches the patient information of the chart you are importing the referral into.

The referral information will then be imported into the EMR chart as a new encounter note. The patient demographic fields in the EMR will also automatically update when the eReferral is imported.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.

When you accept a new eReferral, the referral note will be automatically imported into the patient's chart in OSCAR Pro with the matching healthcard number.

The referral note is imported in PDF format into the 'Documents' area of the chart, and the Ocean Toolbar is reflected to show the number of active eReferrals.

Note: It may take up to 1 hour for the number of active eReferrals to update.

If no chart with a matching healthcard number is found, Ocean will automatically generate a new chart and import the referral notes into it. The patient's demographic fields will also automatically update in the patient's chart.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.

If you use non-integrated EMR, you can download the referral after accepting it and manually upload it into your EMR as a PDF.

Tip: You can download a copy of the referral record at any time.

In Ocean, the referral will be automatically moved to the 'Pending Booking' status folder.

If declining an eReferral, you will be prompted to enter a reason for the declination, with the option to provide an additional message for the declination email notifications.

If the patient consented to email notifications, you can additionally choose whether or not the patient should also receive the declination email notification.

The referral will be automatically moved to the 'Declined' status folder.

Messaging within an eReferral

Learn how to communicate with other referral stakeholders using the Messaging functionality.

When processing and managing incoming eReferrals, it can be necessary to communicate with the other referral stakeholders to gain additional or missing information. This is achieved using the 'Messaging' area within an eReferral.

Optional Step

Note: This is an optional step in the Guide to Receiving eReferrals, since it may not always be relevant or necessary to communicate with other referral stakeholders.

How do I send a message?

Within the 'Messaging' area, simply select the appropriate message recipient (if multiple parties are involved in the referral), type your message into the text box, optionally add an attachment, and press 'Send'.

Tip: For increased efficiency, you can also create canned responses for your Ocean Site that are easily selectable using the speech bubble icon.
The message recipient will receive an email notification that you have sent them a message.

Note: All messages within an eReferral are visible to all referral stakeholders.

Additional Message Functionalities

Once a message has been sent, additional functionalities can be accessed by clicking clicking on the message header.
Note: The 'Amend' and 'Delete' options are only available to the user who sent the message.

Download Addendum Letter: Downloads a PDF document containing basic eReferral information and the selected message.
Amend: Copies the selected message into the new message text field, to allow for additional information to be added.
Delete: Deletes the message.

Scheduling the Referral Appointment

Learn how to add appointment details to eReferrals in order to update patients and referring providers with appointment dates, times, mediums, and other scheduling details.

Appointment information can be added, edited, or removed by referral recipients at any point in an eReferral's lifecycle. This allows for patient and referring providers to stay up to date with the latest appointment dates, times, mediums, and other scheduling details.

Note: The patient must have a valid Health Number associated with their referral for Ocean to sync the correct appointment details from PS Suite via the Custom Form.

Download and Install the Custom Form

Note: Downloading and installing the custom form is a one-time step for each workstation.

Download the "Ocean eReferral Appointment Notification Custom Form" (.cfm file) by clicking the following button:
Ocean eReferral Appointment Notification Custom Form
Install the custom form in PS Suite. For instructions on adding a custom form file, refer to the steps outlined in our instructions for installing the Ocean Toolbar and Custom Form: Download & Install the Ocean Custom Form and Toolbar)

Schedule the Appointment and Update the eReferral

Book the patient's appointment into the PS Suite schedule.

Open the patient's chart and verify that the "next visit" area in the top of the chart lists the date of the newly booked appointment.

From the menu bar in the chart, select "View" > "Custom Form" (or use the keyboard shortcut F2) to open the custom form window

Locate and select "Ocean eReferral Appointment Notification" from the list and click the "Choose This Form" button.

The custom form will open a new browser window showing the Patient's Dashboard and their relevant referrals. Select the appropriate referral.

The details from the appointment booked in the EMR will automatically be available for selection within the 'Scheduling' area. Select the appointment date to add it to the referral.

Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.

Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.

Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.

To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.

Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.

Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.

Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.

The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).

Schedule the Appointment

Book the patient's appointment into the Med Access schedule.

Update the Referral

Open the patient's chart in the EMR, and press the 'Launch' button.

Locate the 'Ocean' extension module, press the three dots on the right, and then select 'Send Appointment Notification'.

A new tab will open showing the Patient's Dashboard and their relevant referrals. Select the appropriate referral by clicking on it.

The details from the appointment booked in the EMR will automatically be available for selection within the 'Scheduling' area. Select the appointment date to add it to the referral.

Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.

Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.

Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.

To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.

Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.

Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.

Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.

The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).

Configure the Send Appointment Notification CDS Link

Note: Configuring the CDS link is a one-time step for each EMR user.

For instructions on setting up the 'Send Appointment Notification' CDS link, refer to this support article.

Schedule the Appointment and Update the eReferral

Select the relevant patient in Accuro.

Book the patient's appointment in the Accuro schedule.

Select the Send Appointment Notification CDS link or the equivalent user-friendly button.

The Patient Dashboard will launch in a new window, and you will be prompted to select the relevant referral to update.

The details from the appointment booked in the EMR will automatically be available for selection within the 'Scheduling' area. Select the appointment date to add it to the referral.

Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.

Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.

Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.

To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.

Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.

Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.

Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.

The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).

Create a Shortcut to the Ocean eForm on the OSCAR Pro Schedule

Note: Creating the shortcut to the Ocean eForm is a one-time step.

For instructions on creating a shortuct to the Ocean eForm on the schedule, refer to this supprt article.

Schedule the Appointment and Update the eReferral

Book the patient's appointment into the OSCAR Pro schedule.
Press the 'Oc.' shortcut on the appointment to open the Ocean eForm.

Select 'Update Referral'.

The Patient Dashboard will launch in a new window, and you will be prompted to select the relevant referral to update.

The details from the appointment booked in the EMR will automatically be available for selection within the 'Scheduling' area. Select the appointment date to add it to the referral.

Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.

Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.

Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.

To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.

Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.

Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.

Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.

The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).

Schedule the Appointment

Book the patient's appointment into the OSCAR schedule.

Update the Referral

Open the patient's chart in the EMR, and press the 'Patient Summary' button on the Ocean Toolbar.

A new tab will open showing the Patient's Dashboard and their relevant referrals. Select the appropriate referral by clicking on it.

Within the 'Scheduling' area of the referral, manually add the appointment date and time that matches the appointment booked in the OSCAR schedule.

Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.

Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.

Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.

To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.

Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.

Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.

Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.

The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).

Schedule the Appointment

Book the patient's appointment into your non-integrated EMR.

Update the Referral

Locate the relevant patient referral in the 'Pending Booking' folder. Click on it to open it.

Within the 'Scheduling' area of the referral, manually add the appointment date and time that matches the appointment booked in the EMR schedule.

Alternatively, if an appointment cannot be scheduled right away you can communicate an anticipated wait time to the referrer by using the 'Anticipated Time to Appointment' function.

Optionally, update the 'Appointment Label', the 'Medium', and the 'Confirmed' checkbox if the date and time were confirmed by the patient at the time of booking.

Tip: You can customize your Appointment Labels and the set a default Medium in your Directory Listing settings.

To add more than one appointment, press the '+' button on the right hand side. To cancel or remove an appointment, select the '-' button.

Type any comments for the referrer and patient into the text box, and press 'Add Attachments' to include any file attachments.

Tip: You can create canned booking comments to increase efficiency.

Select either 'Save' or 'Save & Close'.

The referral will automatically move to the either 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder depending on the confirmation status, and an email notification will be sent to the referrer and/or patient containing the details of the scheduled appointment, the comments and attachments, and the ability to confirm the appointment (if applicable).

Completing the Referral

Learn how to mark a referral as 'Completed' to close the loop on its lifecycle.

Once the scheduled appointment date for the referral has passed, you are able to mark the referral as completed.

Locate the referral within its current status folder. This is typically either the 'Booked Unconfirmed' or 'Booked Confirmed' folder.

Open the referral, and press the 'Completed' button at the bottom.

Note: If you are using Med Access, Accuro or OSCAR Pro, a final copy of the referral record will be automatically downloaded into the patient's chart in your EMR.

For other EMRs, you can manually download a final copy of the referral record.

The referral will be automatically moved to the 'Completed' status folder.

Are referrals deleted after they are moved into the 'Completed' status folder?

Moving a referral into the 'Completed' status folder has no impact on how long the referral is stored in Ocean. Referrals are always kept for 365 days from the date the referral was sent OR for 30 days after the last appointment date (in the case of an appointment being that is scheduled after the 365-day default). For more details on Ocean's deletion rules, please see the article here.

If you would like to see the specific date that a referral is scheduled to be removed from Ocean, you can click on the "Action" menu within the referral, and choose "View Event Log". The specific removal date will be displayed at the bottom of the event log.

Advanced Features and Best Practices

Explore advanced features for managing your referrals, along with additional best practices.

Optional Step

Note: While this guide provides an overview of the main steps to receiving and handling an eReferral, optional information on advanced features and best practices is also available below.

Viewing a Patient's Referral History - If you ever need to inquire about any Ocean eReferral(s) that have been received and processed for a certain patient in the past, you can easily look this up in the patient's eReferral history in Ocean.
Adding Notes to an eReferral - The 'Notes' area within an eReferral can be used for general documentation regarding the request.
Downloading the Referral Record - You are able to download a complete copy of the entire referral record at any point in time.
Creating Inbound Requests - If your Ocean site receives referrals by phone or fax, you can convert these into Ocean eReferrals by creating a New Inbound Referral.
Backing Up Your eReferrals - It's a good idea to keep a backup of all your Ocean eReferrals, as they are purged from the Ocean Portal over time.
Accessing eReferral Analytics - Ocean sites receiving eReferrals can access analytic data about eReferrals received over time.
Batch Printing Received eReferrals - If your Ocean site receives referrals and would like to print or download a PDF copy to maintain with your patient records, this can be done using Ocean's batch print function.
Automatically Marking your Referrals as Complete - If you're managing your referrals in another external system, you can automatically mark your referrals as 'Complete' in Ocean

Tip: You can review the full eReferrals FAQ section for additional information on even more topics.