Why do I need a new referral every 12 months?

This is a common question we get asked. The more apt term is, in fact, an “updated referral” rather than a “new referral”.

Our practice policy requires an updated referral every 12 months for patients who attend our practice for ongoing care. This policy does not affect our fee billing structure, but is a safety policy in place to ensure we have your most updated medical information and current medications that may affect treatment decisions by your treating dermatologist.

For many patients, their current GP is different to the one who initiated their referral when they first attended our practice. As some patients change GPs regularly or have multiple GPs they see for different health issues, it is important that we confirm your updated GP details every 12 months via a referral.

Our updated referral policy ensures that correspondence from your treating dermatologist summarising your treatment outcomes is delivered to the intended GP recipient.

Updated referrals help reduce communication barriers between your healthcare providers, and help ensure that your GP is in the communication loop about your skin treatment plans with us. This is either through our correspondence back to them, or your visit to them to obtain an updated referral which often also triggers a more general health check-in with them.