Send a Referral to a Specialist

Interactive Demo

Watch the full referral walkthrough, then follow the written steps below if you need more detail on any screen.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Click New Referral

Click the New referral button in the upper-right corner of the ReferralCatch page.

Choose a Specialist

You’ll land on the Receiving office information screen. Click the Select doctor… dropdown and start typing the specialist’s name.

Choose a preferred provider — dropdown empty

Search results show the doctor’s name, specialty, practice, and their current availability status.

Search results showing a specialist — name, specialty, practice, and Available badge

Click the specialist’s card to select them.

Don’t see your specialist in the list? Click Send invite at the bottom of the dropdown to invite them to join ReferralCatch. Once they accept, they’ll appear in your network for future referrals.

Send invite option at the bottom of the search dropdown

After selecting, the specialist’s profile card appears below the dropdown confirming your choice — including their name, specialty, practice, and availability.

Verify the Patient

Before entering patient details, ReferralCatch verifies the patient’s identity. You have two options:

Option	How it works
QR code	Hover over the QR code to print it. The patient scans it on their phone to self-verify.
Phone number	Enter the patient’s mobile number and click Verify. They receive a 6-digit code by text.

Receiving office information — QR code and phone number verification options

A verification dialog appears. Ask the patient to read you the code from their phone, then enter it in the six boxes.

Verification code dialog — empty boxes waiting for code

Verification code dialog — code entered and ready to submit

Click Verify code to proceed to patient information.

Fill In Patient Details

The Patient information screen lets you enter all clinical details for this referral. The referring doctor and preferred provider are shown at the top — use the dropdowns on the right to change either one if needed.

Patient information form — referring doctor, preferred provider, and patient fields

Complete the patient details:

Field	Notes
This referral is for	Self for the patient, or Child or other dependent
First name / Last name	Patient’s legal name
Patient email	Optional — used for patient-facing notifications
Date of birth	Use the calendar picker
Insurance	Select from the dropdown, or leave as Not provided

Date picker open — selecting patient date of birth

Select Procedures

Below the patient fields, click any procedure tag to add it to the referral. You can select multiple procedures. The list includes common procedures (Braces, Crown, Deep Cleaning, Fillings) as well as specialized ones (Bone Grafting, Cone Beam CT Imaging, Root Canal Therapy, Wisdom Teeth, and many more).

Upload X-Rays and Select Teeth

Scroll down to attach clinical media and mark which teeth are involved.

X-rays and intra-oral photographs

Click Click to upload to attach X-rays, photos, or videos. These files are shared with both the specialist and the patient to help the patient understand and follow through with treatment.

Select teeth

The interactive dental chart lets you mark which teeth are being referred. Click any tooth in the chart to select it.

Full dental chart — upper and lower quadrants with standard tooth numbering

Selected teeth appear in the panel to the right of the chart with their quadrant and tooth number confirmed.

Dental chart — tooth selected in Upper Right quadrant

The chart uses standard US tooth numbering — 1–32 for permanent teeth, A–T for primary (baby) teeth.

Add Notes and Additional Files

Scroll down to the Quick notes & additional files section.

Quick notes and additional files section

Use the Notes/comments field to add any clinical context for the specialist — urgency level, previous treatment history, patient concerns, or specific instructions.

Notes typed for the specialist — Send referral button visible in the bottom-right corner

Notes and files in this section are visible only to your office and the receiving specialist’s office — they are not shared with the patient.

Send the Referral

Click Send referral in the bottom-right corner.You’ll return to the Cases list, where the new referral appears immediately with a status of Not Scheduled. The specialist receives a notification and can begin reviewing the case.

Referrals list showing the submitted referral with Not Scheduled status

What Happens After You Send

What happens	Who acts
Specialist receives a notification	ReferralCatch alerts the receiving office
Status updates to Scheduled	Specialist confirms the appointment date
Patient receives referral details	Sent to the patient’s phone or email
You can message the specialist	Use the Chat tab directly on the referral

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the specialist after sending?

No — once a referral is submitted, the receiving provider is locked. Contact us at support@referralcatch.com if you need to redirect a referral.

What if the patient doesn't receive the verification code?

Ask them to check their spam or junk folder. If it still doesn’t arrive, confirm the phone number is correct and resend. Codes expire after a short window — a fresh request generates a new one.

Can I add multiple procedures to one referral?

Yes. Click as many procedure tags as apply — all selected procedures are included in the referral the specialist receives.

Are uploaded X-rays stored securely?

Yes. All files uploaded to ReferralCatch are encrypted in transit and at rest, in compliance with HIPAA requirements.

What does 'Not Scheduled' mean?

It means the referral has been sent and received, but the specialist has not yet confirmed an appointment date for the patient. Once they schedule, the status updates automatically.

Need Help?

If you run into any issues, email us at support@referralcatch.com and we’ll get you sorted out quickly.

Latest Updates

Overview

Referrals

Interactive Demo