The referral office can be reached directly at 760-753-5996. This phone number has voice mail at all times so that it is always convenient for you to leave a message if necessary. Your call will be returned within 24 hours.
If your insurance company requires you to obtain a referral before your child sees a specialist or goes for additional testing, here are some things you’ll need to know:
Referral Process – Routine
- Your primary care physician originates the paperwork to obtain the referral.
- Turnaround time is usually 7-10 days for non-urgent requests.
- Paperwork will be mailed to your home that will instruct you where to schedule the appointment or where to go for testing.
- Take the paperwork with you to your appointment.
- Call the office if you have not received your referral within 2 weeks.
Referral Process – Urgent
- You will usually be in our office when the physician determines your child needs to urgently visit a specialist or go for further testing.
- Paperwork will be originated and approval is usually received in 24 hours.
Referral Process – Denied
- Occasionally requests for referrals are denied.
- When you receive notification that a request has been denied and you disagree with the denial, carefully follow the instructions on your form and resubmit yourself.
- The office will resubmit but a request should also come from the patient.
Emergency Room Referrals
- Go directly to the emergency room if you have a life or limb threatening emergency or call 911 if necessary.
- For possible bone fractures, always go to Children’s Hospital emergency room, as the local hospitals don’t always cast children.
- Know the hospitals that your plan covers before you need an emergency room visit; a life-threatening emergency or 911 call should be handled by the closest emergency room.
- If it is an urgent (not emergent) situation, call our main office 760-753-7143 even if it is after hours and our answering service will see that the physician on call gets in touch with you.