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Many referral decisions for post-acute care hinge on electronic order capability and interoperability, according to a new survey of more than 130 hospital and physician entities.
Referrals are a vital part of the US healthcare system, with over a third of patients receiving specialist referrals annually. As such, obtaining a referral is a relatively common occurrence.
In fact, a 2018 study conducted by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the National Patient Safety Foundation highlighted that close to 100 million subspecialty referral requests are generated each year from outpatient centers alone.
Given this high volume of subspecialty referrals, experts have stated it is essential to ensure that patient records can be quickly shared to facilitate easier communication between primary caregivers and specialists.