| referral | The recommedation of a medical or paramedical professional. If you get a referral, for example, to ophthalmology, you are sent to the eye doctor. The earliest recorded use of the word referral in medicine was in 1927. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| referral and consultation | The practice of sending a patient to another program or practitioner for services or advice which the referring source is not prepared to provide. (12 Dec 1998) |
| physician self-referral | Referral by physicians to testing or treatment facilities in which they have financial interest. The practice is regulated by the ethics in patient referrals act of 1989. (12 Dec 1998) |
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