Issue 04 · Anatomy of a referral

From a name on a screen
to a patient on a list—
in five steps.

We pulled apart what happens between “I need a cardiologist” and “the patient's been booked”. Here are the five stages every MedRefer referral moves through.

A long-form look at the platform
01 / 05 Find

Start with the right specialist, not a phonebook.

The directory is AHPRA-verified and updated by the specialists' rooms — so what you see is what's actually available today, not last quarter's PDF.

  • Live wait times — rooms update their own availability.
  • Billing transparency — bulk-bill, mixed, private, telehealth.
  • Filter by suitability — specialty, sub-specialty, language, location.
Time at stage <30s Outcome Specialist selected
Directory 2,318 results
Cardiologist, Inner West Sydney
Cardiology × NSW 2040 × Bulk-bill × +4 filters
JN
Dr Jonathan Naidu
Cardiology · Leichhardt · 2 wk wait
Private
PM
Dr Priya Mehta
Cardiology · Echo · Balmain · 4 day wait
Bulk-bill
RT
Dr Raymond Tan
Interventional · Camperdown · 3 wk wait
Mixed
02 / 05 Compose

A referral, structured — not a free-text fax.

Patient details, clinical context, urgency, and MBS item all live in real fields the specialist's team can triage on. GP details pre-fill, so you write only the medicine.

  • Pre-fill from your profile — signature, provider number, rooms.
  • Clinical fields with hints — consistent format every time.
  • Auto-save as you type — no half-written drafts lost.
Time at stage ~90s Outcome Draft complete
Referral draft #MR-4128
Patient M.K. · 58 · F · NSW 2042
Reason Atypical chest pain, ↑ BP
Urgency Routine 2 wk
MBS item 132 · suggested
Attach ECG_21052026.pdf · Bloods_19052026.pdf
5 of 5 fields complete · auto-saved 2s ago
03 / 05 Bill

Ask billing in your own words. Get an answer with citations.

The AI billing assistant lives inside the referral. It reads the clinical context and suggests the right MBS item, with co-claim rules in plain English — and a citation back to the schedule.

  • Context-aware — reads the draft, not just your question.
  • Plain English — co-claim, time, attendance rules in two lines.
  • Citable — every answer links back to the MBS schedule.
Time at stage Instant Outcome Item confirmed
MBS billing assistant MBS 2026.05
Can I claim a long consult + mental health plan on the same day for this patient?
36 2715 Yes — co-claim allowed when both attendances are clinically warranted and time thresholds are met. Cite: MBS Item 2715 note (b) · Item 36 attendance rules
Will item 132 still apply for the cardio referral?
132 Yes — new patient, >45 min, separate attendance. Compatible.
Ask about an item or rule…
04 / 05 Send

One click — encrypted, signed, logged.

Delivered straight to the specialist's MedRefer inbox. Cryptographically signed by your provider number; the patient never carries the letter. A complete audit trail is filed for both sides.

  • TLS in transit, encrypted at rest, AHPRA-compliant.
  • Signed with your provider number — the specialist sees the source.
  • Audit log by default — every action timestamped.
Time at stage 1 click Outcome Delivered
Ready to send final review
PM
Dr Priya Mehta
Balmain Heart Centre · verified inbox
TLS
Signed
Logged
Hash · a3f7…c81d
05 / 05 Track

Watch it land. Both sides see the same thing.

From the moment you hit send, the referral is on a shared dashboard. No more chasing receptionists. No more “did you ever get my letter?”

Referral #MR-4128
Dr S. Kowalski → Dr P. Mehta · Cardiology
Live
01 · Sent
Delivered
2 min ago
SK By Dr Kowalski
02 · Received
Inbox confirmed
Just now
BH Balmain Heart Centre
03 · Triaging
Under review
In progress
PM Dr Mehta's team
04 · Booked
Appointment set
Pending
— Awaiting triage
Total elapsed · 1m 47s  ·  Next update <24h Visible to GP & specialist's team Open dashboard →
— Anatomy of a referral · end —

Five stages, one connected platform.
Your afternoon back, on the same day you start using it.

Start a referral Book a 10-min demo