Looking for a referral from your care team? At Fenway Health, requesting a referral to specialty care is a simple three step process!
Step 1: Talk to your PCP
The first step is to discuss the referral request with your primary care provider (PCP) at Fenway Health. You can do this calling the Medical Appointment Line at 617-927-6000 to set up an appointment. If your Fenway PCP determines a specialist is needed for your care, they will refer you, whenever possible, to a specialist within Fenway Health, or to a trusted specialist within the Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH) network. Your PCP will give you the name and number for the specialist at the end of your visit. If you need help scheduling an appointment with the specialist, please let your provider know at the time of the request and our Referral Coordinators will be happy to assist you.
Once your PCP works with you to determine the most appropriate specialist for your health needs, your Referral Coordinator will send over relevant health records that describe the reason for the referral, or lab results as needed.
Step 2: Schedule your Specialty Appointment
Once you have the correct information from your PCP, please contact the specialist’s office to schedule your appointment. It is very important to attend the specialty appointment as some specialists will not reschedule you if you “no show” your scheduled appointment.
Step 3: Contact the Fenway Health Referrals Team to let them know the date of your scheduled appointment.
While this may seem like an extra step, it is important that your Fenway Referrals Coordinator send over the completed referral forms before your appointment date so that the specialty visit will be covered by your insurance. If you do not follow this step, your specialist may delay your appointment and/or ask you to sign a waiver acknowledging you will pay for all charges if you’re insurance refuses to cover the visit.
You can let the Fenway Referrals Team know the date of your specialty appointment the following ways:
- Submit an online referral request form via the patient portal; once on the portal home page, click “Request a Referral” and complete the appointment date information along with other required fields)
- Call the Referrals team at 617.927.6130 and leave a message with your name, your date of birth, the name of your specialist, and the date of your appointment
- Email the Referrals Team at [email protected] and write a message with your name, the name of your specialist, and the date of your appointment
As the rules established by health insurance companies for referrals vary widely, we recommend that you always follow this process when setting up an appointment for a specialist outside of Fenway Health, so that your insurance pays for the visit and so that your specialty provider has all of the information they need to provide you with the best care possible. Please note: many health insurance plans require that referrals be approved prior to any scheduled appointment with a specialist. Without a referral, your health care insurer could refuse to pay the specialist’s bill, and you will be held responsible for the cost of the office visit with the specialist.
If you would like more information on any of the steps above, please visit the Referrals FAQ page on our website at or pick up a copy of the FAQ page at the check in station at our clinics.