Referral in Spanish

What it means

In medicine, a referral is the act of sending a patient from one health care provider to another for additional health care services. For example, a primary care doctor may refer a patient to a specialist for further diagnosis and treatment. Whether you need one can depend on your health plan. In a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), you choose a primary care provider who manages your care and refers you to specialists. In a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), you have more freedom to see providers inside and outside the network without the need for referrals. In a Point-of-Service (POS) plan, you can see any in-network provider without a referral, but you do need a referral to see out-of-network providers.

Spanish term: Derivación
Gender and article: feminine: la derivación
Pronunciation: deh-ree-bah-SYOHN

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
remisión médica	General	Headword of the National Cancer Institute dictionary's Spanish entry for referral; MedlinePlus en español also writes "remisiones a especialistas".
referencia médica	General	Given in the National Cancer Institute dictionary's Spanish entry under "También se llama"; MedlinePlus en español writes "una referencia" when it explains health plans.
derivación médica	General	Fuller form of the headword, given in the National Cancer Institute dictionary's Spanish entry under "También se llama".

Derivación is one of three Spanish names these sources give for the same thing. The National Cancer Institute dictionary enters the term as remisión médica and adds that it is also called derivación médica and referencia médica. MedlinePlus en español writes referencia when it explains health plans (sin necesidad de una referencia) and remisiones when it lists what a primary care provider does (hacer remisiones a especialistas). All three nouns take feminine forms.

The matching verbs are remitir, derivar and referir: the National Cancer Institute definition begins remitir, derivar o enviar a un paciente, and MedlinePlus en español says that in an HMO the primary care provider lo remitirá a especialistas, and that in an EPO a patient does not need one para que lo refiera. Plan abbreviations stay in English in the Spanish text: MedlinePlus en español writes HMO, PPO and POS, each followed by por sus siglas en inglés. A question to ask the plan is ¿Necesito una derivación para ver a un especialista?

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	Do I need a referral to see a specialist?	¿Necesito una derivación para ver a un especialista?
Clinician	That depends on your health plan. Is your plan an HMO or a PPO?	Eso depende de su plan de salud. ¿Su plan es una HMO o una PPO?
Patient	It is an HMO, and this clinic is where I get my primary care.	Es una HMO y en esta clínica recibo mi atención primaria.
Clinician	Then I am going to give you a referral to a cardiologist in your plan's network.	Entonces le voy a dar una derivación para un cardiólogo de la red de su plan.
Patient	How long does it take for the referral to be ready?	¿Cuánto tarda en estar lista la derivación?
Clinician	Our office will send the referral to the specialist and let you know.	Nuestro consultorio le enviará la derivación al especialista y le avisará a usted.
Patient	The specialist's office says they have not received my referral.	En el consultorio del especialista dicen que no han recibido mi derivación.
Patient	Can I see a provider outside the network without a referral?	¿Puedo ver a un proveedor fuera de la red sin una derivación?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Referral
Spanish (Español)	Derivación
Chinese (中文)	转诊
Korean (한국어)	의뢰서
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Giấy giới thiệu
Filipino (Tagalog)	Referral
Portuguese (Português)	Encaminhamento
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ใบส่งตัว
Japanese (日本語)	紹介状

Where you'll see it

Referral formInsurer member portalExplanation of Benefits (EOB)Specialist appointment confirmation

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Insurance and billing

All terms in this area: Insurance and billing — Seguro médico y facturación

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.

Referral

What it means