How Refera Turns the Referral Process Upside Down

For decades, dental referrals have been a frustrating and inefficient process. A GP hands a patient a paper referral slip, hoping they follow through—but hope isn’t a strategy. The reality is that 50% of referrals never result in a completed appointment. Patients lose the slip, forget to schedule, or hesitate due to uncertainty. Meanwhile, specialists are left in the dark, unsure how many referrals they’ve missed.

Refera completely transforms this broken system by putting specialists, GPs, and patients in control. Instead of relying on paper and patient follow-through, Refera digitizes the process, ensuring referrals don’t fall through the cracks.

Why the Traditional Referral Process Fails

The old way of handling referrals is inefficient and unreliable. Here’s how it typically plays out:

• The GP hands the patient a paper referral slip.
• The patient loses it, forgets, or decides not to schedule.
• The specialist never knows the referral was made.
• The GP assumes the patient followed through, but they didn’t.
• Treatment is never completed, resulting in lost revenue and untreated patients.

This outdated process wastes valuable administrative time, leaves specialists guessing, and results in poor patient outcomes.

How Refera Fixes the Referral Process

Refera replaces paper referrals with a seamless, digital system that ensures every referral is tracked and completed. Here’s how it works:

• The GP submits a referral digitally in less than 60 seconds.
• The patient instantly receives a text message with referral details.
• Automated reminders ensure the patient schedules their appointment.
• The specialist receives real-time updates and can proactively reach out to the patient.
• The patient completes their treatment, and the GP gets them back for follow-up care faster.

The Impact of Switching to Refera

Practices using Refera see a dramatic improvement in patient follow-through. With traditional paper referrals, only 50% of referred patients schedule an appointment. With Refera, that number jumps to 80% or higher.

A better referral process means:

• Higher revenue for both specialists and GPs.
• Stronger relationships between referral partners.
• Improved patient care and treatment outcomes.

If your practice is still relying on paper referrals, it’s time for a change. Switch to Refera and transform the way you manage referrals.