self-referral

noun

self-re·​fer·​ral ˌself-ri-ˈfər-əl 

plural self-referrals

1

: the act of referring oneself to a health-care provider (such as a physician)

self-referrals for obstetric care

2

: the referral of a patient to a specialized medical facility (such as a medical imaging center) in which the referring physician has a financial interest

Examples of self-referral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

People arrive there from ambulances, law enforcement, clinics, emergency departments, other community programs, or even via self-referral. —Shannon Smith-Bernardin, STAT, 13 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

self-referral

noun

self-re·​fer·​ral -ri-ˈfər-əl 

1

: the act of referring oneself to a health-care provider (as a physician)

self-referrals for orthopedic care

2

of a physician : the referral of a patient to a specialized medical facility (as a medical imaging center) in which the referring physician has a financial interest

… self-referrals—the referral of patients to an entity with which the referring physician has a financial relationship—are outlawed by the Ethics in Patient Referral Act as well as numerous state statutes.

—Paul E. Kalb

self-refer

-ri-ˈfər 

intransitive verb

self-referred; self-referring

health plans that allow patients to self-refer