A referral to the hospital can be issued by both a doctor with a signed contract with the National He alth Fund and a private doctor, if further outpatient treatment does not bring results. A referral for hospital treatment remains valid until it is processed.
Hospital referralallows the patient to visit any hospital of his choice. The hospital, however, cannot refuse (without giving a justified reason) to admit a patient who hascorrectly issued a referral .
What should be included in the referral to the hospital?
- stamp or imprint with the name, address, telephone number of the service provider and the number of the contract concluded with the fund
- issue date
- PESEL number and name and surname of the beneficiary
- diagnosis underlying the referral and disease code
- Purpose of the referral (type of advice or referral for treatment, or type of procedure
- signature and stamp of a doctor with a legible number of the license to practice the profession
- attached or described research carried out so far or procedure to date
A referral may also be an information card from a hospital treatment or an information card from an admission room, hospital emergency department or other emergency care unit, with an appropriate entry specifying an indication for further treatment.
Referral for diagnostic tests to hospital
A referral for diagnostic tests to a hospital does not have to contain all the elements contained in a referral to a hospital. The doctor does not have to include the diagnosis (item 4) or the purpose of the referral (item 5), or the accompanying tests (item 7), but this referral should only indicate the tests that have been ordered.
Hospital referral: refusal of admission
If the hospital does not agree to admit a patient with a correctly issued referral, it must confirm its refusal on the referral. The refusal should include the date, stamp or imprint with the name, address and telephone number of the office or facility, name and surname, stamp and signature of the person refusing admission, and the reason for the refusal.
- When the hospital refuses to admit you, you have the right to refer youa complaint to the director of the facility, the relevant branch of the National He alth Fund, and even to the patient ombudsman.