How to Create a Referral Correspondence Template

Use the Referral category of correspondence templates to correspond with referral source providers. You can access and create correspondence from the Referral Follow-Up List.
(Location > To Do > Referral Follow-Up List).
Note: You can also access the screen below from the Follow-Up list by clicking Manage Templates.

To create a referral correspondence template:

1. From the Administration tab, select Templates > Correspondence Templates.
   
2. Under Actions, click Create New Template. The fields are editable.
   
3. For the Template Category, select Referral.
4. For the Template Name, assign a unique name associated with this template.
5. For the Template Format, select Letter or Email.
   Note: If both formats are needed, save the template and then select Copy Selected Template from Actions. Save the copy using a unique name such as Referral Email.
   The Addressee is populated as Referral for templates in this category.
6. If you want correspondence created using this template to be included on the patient's Clinical Chart (EMR) under Clinical Notes, select the Clinical Event option. 
7. Use the text controls to create the body of the template.
8. Click Add Merge Fields to select the Referral merge fields to insert in this template where the cursor is currently located.
   Note:
   -- When correspondence templates are used for a patient, the selected information is merged in place of the merge field placeholder that is displayed, including any punctuation or spacing. Keep this in mind when formatting the note.
   -- For example, an oral surgery office may want to add a Completed Procedures, Completed Procedures Description, or Completed Procedures and Completed Procedures Description merge field to a referral correspondence template, rather than manually entering this information. When procedures are posted to a patient's account, the procedure data from the most recent service date is automatically applied to the Completed Procedures merge fields within the templates.
9. Click Add Questions to add entries from the Question Library into the template.
   Note:
   -- You can then select an answer for any included questions when using the template for patient correspondence. Be aware only the answer is displayed and any necessary context should be included in the correspondence template.
   -- The questions that are added to the template are temporarily blue and revert to normal text when they are used to send correspondence.
   -- You can manage the list of available questions from the Question Library (Administration > Templates > Question Library).
10. Click Save Template.

For more information, see How to Track Referral Activity and How to Send a Referral Follow-Up Letter.