How to manually add a referral
Not every referral will come through your online referral form.
Referral Intel allows your team to manually add referrals that arrive by fax, email, phone, paper, or direct provider communication so they can still be tracked in one place.
Short answer
If a referral comes in outside the online referral form, add it manually in your Referral Intel portal.
This allows your team to track the patient, update referral status, manage follow-up, and keep your referral data complete.
When to manually add a referral
Manually add a referral when your practice receives a referral through another channel.
Common examples include:
Faxed referrals
Emailed referrals
Paper referral slips
Phone referrals
Provider-to-provider text or call
Patient self-referrals
Referrals mentioned during an appointment
Referrals sent before your online form was being used consistently
The goal is to make sure every referral your team is actively managing is entered into Referral Intel.
Why manual referrals matter
If manual referrals are not entered into Referral Intel, your data may be incomplete.
That can make it harder to know:
How many referrals your practice is receiving
Which providers are referring patients
Which patients still need to be contacted
Which referrals converted to appointments
Which referral sources are increasing or slowing down
Which offices need follow-up
Even if the referral starts outside the online form, adding it to Referral Intel keeps it part of your referral workflow.
How to manually add a referral
To manually add a referral:
Log in to your Referral Intel portal.
Go to the patient referrals area.
Select the option to add a new referral.
Enter the referring provider or organization.
Enter the patient information.
Add the reason for referral.
Add any relevant notes.
Add or manage attachments according to your practice workflow.
Save the referral.
Confirm the referral appears in your referral list.
Once saved, the referral can be tracked like any other referral.
Information to include
When manually adding a referral, include as much complete information as possible.
Important fields may include:
Patient name
Patient phone number
Patient email address
Date of birth, if available
Referring provider
Referring organization
Reason for referral
Requested location
Requested provider
Referral notes
Attachments or records, if applicable
The more complete the referral is, the easier it is for your team to follow up.
What if some information is missing?
Sometimes referrals arrive with incomplete information.
If important details are missing, enter what you have and follow your practice’s normal process for getting the missing information.
Common missing items include:
Patient email
Patient phone number
Referring provider email
Referring office phone number
Reason for referral
Attachments
Clinical notes
Your team may need to contact the referring office before the referral can move forward.
Search before adding a referral
Before adding a manual referral, search for the patient first.
This helps prevent duplicate referral records.
A duplicate may happen if:
The referring office submitted the online form and also faxed the referral
A patient called after a referral was already entered
A provider sent the referral by email and paper
Multiple team members entered the same referral
If a referral already exists, update the existing referral instead of creating a new one.
Link the correct referring provider
When adding a referral manually, make sure the referral is connected to the correct referring provider and organization.
This is important for accurate dashboards and referral source tracking.
If the provider is already in Referral Intel, select the existing provider rather than creating a duplicate.
If the provider is new, add the provider according to your practice workflow.
Patient self-referrals
Some patients may contact your practice directly after hearing about you from a provider, website, friend, or another source.
If your practice tracks self-referrals, enter the referral according to your internal workflow.
When possible, include the source of the referral so your team understands how the patient found the practice.
Examples may include:
Self-referred
Patient referred
Website
Existing patient
Provider mentioned verbally
Unknown referral source
What happens after a manual referral is added?
Once a manual referral is saved, it can be managed like other referrals in Referral Intel.
Your team can:
Update the referral status
Track whether the patient schedules
Review referral source information
Add notes
Manage attachments
Include the referral in dashboards
Follow up according to your workflow
Depending on your setup, certain automations may begin after the referral is added.
Best practice: enter manual referrals promptly
Manual referrals should be entered as soon as possible.
If referrals sit in a fax pile, email inbox, paper folder, or voicemail list for too long, they can be missed or delayed.
A good workflow is to enter manual referrals into Referral Intel the same day they are received.
Best practice: use consistent names
Use consistent names for referring providers and organizations.
For example, avoid creating separate records for:
Dr. Smith
John Smith
Dr. John Smith
Smith Dental
J. Smith
Choose the correct existing provider or organization whenever possible.
Clean referral source data makes dashboards more useful.
Best practice: decide who owns manual entry
Your practice should decide who is responsible for manually adding referrals.
This may be:
Front desk
Referral coordinator
Office manager
Scheduling coordinator
Treatment or care coordinator
Clear ownership helps prevent referrals from being missed or entered twice.
Common mistake: only tracking online referrals
Referral Intel works best when all active referrals are tracked in one place.
If your team only tracks online referrals but leaves fax, email, phone, or paper referrals outside the system, your dashboards may not reflect the full referral picture.
Common mistake: creating duplicate referring providers
If the same referring provider is entered multiple ways, dashboards may split that provider’s referral history across multiple records.
Search before adding a new provider.
Whenever possible, link the referral to the existing provider or organization.
Common mistake: waiting until the patient schedules
Do not wait until the patient schedules to enter the referral.
Referral Intel is designed to help track patients before they schedule, including patients who still need follow-up.
If you wait until scheduling, you may miss the opportunity to track referral-to-appointment conversion.
Related articles
How to view a new referral
How to update referral status
What each referral status means
How attachments and X-rays work
When to create a patient chart in your PMS or EHR