Health Professionals
Referring to the Eye and Ear
Working with GPs, we have developed a range of resources to make things easier for referring GPs, including information sessions run by our specialists, referral guidelines and forms and information about our services. The more clinical information that you include in your referral, the better we are able to triage your patient. We have streamlined our process to capture mandatory information about your patient. This includes the patient's full name, date of birth and contact details, the reason for the referral and any relevant medical history to assist with triage. You can find out more information about our referral process, by downloading the Referral Guidelines.
What type of referral do you have?
- For immediate telephone advice/emergencies: Phone switch (03) 9929 8666 and ask for the Eye or ENT admitting officer
- For referrals and outpatient appointments: You can mail or fax referrals to the Outpatient Booking Unit (OBU), - Fax to OBU on (03) 99298404 or mail to Outpatient Booking Unit, Locked Bag 8, East Melbourne, 8002.
- For urgent referrals: You can mark as “URGENT” (triaged within 48 hours) or telephone the OBU to notify them you are sending an urgent referral OBU phone (03) 9929 8500.
Our referral forms
We have optional referral forms available, which can be printed or downloaded and integrated with Medical Director or Best Practice Clinical software products. You can also order hard copies by contacting our Outpatient Bookings Unit on 9929 8500. For assistance integrating these forms into your software, please contact your local division of General Practice.
Other important information
- Medicare ineligible patients: If your patient is Medicare ineligible, please let us know, so we can discuss options with your patient prior to their appointment.
- Interpreter required: Please let us know on your referral if an interpreter is required and for which language.
- Patients who have seen a private Ophthalmologist: If you could document the ophthalmologist the patient attended, this could be helpful if we need further information.