Independent Physician Referral FAQs

Refer your patient with Physician Access

What is Physician Access?

Our online tool and mobile app provides access to our AHN specialist database. Referring physicians can search by AHN specialist name, expertise, or specialty. They can review AHN specialists’ expertise and location and make a patient referral — all in one place.

Go to Physician Access online

Download the Physician Access app:

How does Physician Access help me make a patient referral?

Physician Access lets you:

• Search more than 1,300 AHN physicians across 60 specialties throughout our coverage area. Search by:
  • Specialty
  • Name
  • Location
• Schedule an appointment with the chosen specialist.
• Notify AHN’s Care Connect team to contact your patient directly to schedule a visit.
• Locate active clinical trials.
• Track your patient’s care through EpicCare^® Link^TM.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are two referral types you shouldn’t make through Physician Access. In the cases below, use the following specific referral steps.

1. Refer a patient for Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT).
2. Assist a cancer patient with a Second Opinion Request.

What’s the difference between the Physician Access mobile app and the Physician Access website?

While both help you refer patients to AHN physicians, there are a few slight differences you should be aware of. The app has some functionality not available on the website, like:

• The ability to save a list of preferred specialists.
• A patient referral workflow that allows multiple team member contributions.
• Location services to help find nearby options.

Before you can use the app’s functions, you’ll need to enter some information, including your national provider identifier (NPI) number, to create an account.

How do I make a preferred specialist list?

You can add any specialist to your preferred list by:

1. Searching for them by name or specialty.
2. Selecting their image.
3. On the next screen, tap on the “Favorites” heart icon located below their banner and above their areas of expertise.

How can multiple people work on the same referral?

1. Begin the referral process by entering the patient’s name and date of birth followed by appointment type and refer to preferences.
2. On the next screen, enter any notes or information you want to include with the referral.
3. At the bottom of this screen, you can then choose to forward this referral to a member of your team.
4. Your team member will be alerted, and they can then complete the referral.

How do I use the app’s location services?

1. Scroll to the bottom of the app’s Home screen.
2. Tap the toggle switch beside Turn location services on.
3. If your device prompts you to confirm use of location services, allow the app to do so.

Why can’t I find the specialist I am looking for?

Every specialist we can set up appointments for should be findable within Physician Access. If you can’t find the AHN specialist you’re looking for:

1. Make sure you spelled their last name correctly and try again.
2. Try a search by their specialty or expertise and review the search results.
3. Call the Physician Access Center at 1 (844) MD-REFER (1-844-637-3337) to verify the specialist’s availability and complete a referral.

The Physician Access Center is available weekdays from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM and on weekends from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Best practice: Save your favorite specialists to your Favorites list in the Physician Access app.

In search results for a particular area of expertise, I see profiles that don’t have the expertise I’m looking for. Why is their profile in my search results?

While many of our specialists have more than three areas of expertise, we can only display three specialties on their results card. Tap their profile card to view all areas of expertise below their photograph.

How do I find all locations for a particular specialist?

When you select a specialist on the Physician Access website, a map will appear with markers indicating where they practice. On the app, you can access this map by scrolling down the screen. In both instances, you can find the street address for practice locations beneath the specialist’s list of expertise.

How do I find all specialists at a particular location?

Many of our specialists’ prime locations are at or near AHN hospitals. Select the Location icon on the map to get a list displaying the number of specialists who practice there. Scroll or swipe to view each specialist. To return to the search list from the locations map view, select the list icon at the top right corner of the green title bar.

What happens after I make the referral for my patient? How do I follow up on their test results, diagnosis, or care and treatment plan?

EpicCare Link lets you keep track of your patients’ care after completing their referral to an AHN specialist. Use EpicCare Link to:

• Access your patient’s full AHN medical record.
• Send and receive messages directly with specialists.
• Get real-time notifications and updates on your patients, including test results, hospital admissions, discharge summaries, and more.

Read our Patient Follow-Up FAQs to learn more about EpicCare Link, how to set up an account, and additional support resources.

Where can I get additional assistance?

Call the Physician Access Center at 1 (844) MD-REFER (1-844-637-3337) to verify a specialist’s availability and complete a referral.

The Physician Access Center is available weekdays from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM and on weekends from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.