What should happen after a patient referral and what actually does happen are many times not the same.

It drives me crazy when a doctor sends a patient out for a referral and then has no follow-up in place or lacks the documentation to remind him or her of the referral. 

So you want to ask yourself the following questions: 

1. Did I document the referral?
2. Did I follow up with the patient?
3. Did I get a report back from the referred source?
4. Did I discuss the outcome appropriately with my patient?

It's too easy to make a referral and then just forget about it. But that's what many doctors and their staffs do.  This is certainly not the best outcome for the patient.

When making a referral for a patient, always remind them to list you as the referring doctor to enable you to receive reports effortlessly.  This is also a wonderful way to build relationships with other providers and centers.