How to refer patients

Resources for outpatient referrals

If you are a physician or health care professional looking to refer a patient for outpatient care in either Madison, Wis., or northern Illinois, please refer to the information below.

Note: For urgent referrals, please call the appropriate UW Health specialty clinic directly to schedule an appointment.

Options for referring patients for outpatient care in Madison, Wis.

Online

Complete the Online Request for Appointment Form when referring a patient to any UW Health pediatric or adult specialty clinic in Madison, Wis.

Online Request for Appointment Form

Complete the request for Clinic Appointment form. This form can be used when referring a patient to any of the UW Health pediatric or adult specialty clinics. Please fax the form to (608) 203-2661 or toll-free at (888) 875-8490

Download fax form (pdf)

If you submitted the request via form or fax, once it is received, it will be reviewed and processed. To confirm receipt of the form, you will receive one of the following:

  • An Appointment Status form. UW Health will contact the patient to arrange the appointment. A fax will be sent to you to notify you of the status of the appointment.

  • A Request for Additional Information form. If additional information is needed in order to schedule an appointment, a fax will be sent to you to request this information.

  • A phone call to request additional information or to communicate appointment information.

We will contact the patient directly to schedule.

Referring patients to northern Illinois facilities

If you would like to refer patients for care to a UW Health facility in northern Illinois, please use one of the following methods:

Download, complete, print and fax the Complete the Request for Clinic Appointment -Rockford Referrals form.

This form can be used when referring a patient to any of the UW Health pediatric or adult specialty clinics in northern Illinois. Please fax the form to (608) 267-8148.

Once the fax is received, it will be reviewed and processed. We will contact you with any questions we have and will reach out to the patient directly to schedule the appointment.

Referral information by specialty for locations in Madison

UW Health Radiology provides the highest standard of care by exceptionally qualified medical and technical staff using state-of-the-art technology.

Online
Complete the Online Order for a Radiology Exam/Procedure

Fax
Complete the Order for a Radiology Exam/Procedure (pdf)
Please print and fax the form to (608) 662-4583 or toll-free to (844) 662-4583.

Questions
If you have questions about ordering radiology exams or procedures, please call (608) 287-2050 or (608) 263-9729.

When you refer your patient, we are dedicated to delivering cancer care to your patients with the compassion and urgency they need.

We are here for:

Breast cancer

To refer a patient with a diagnosis of Stage 0 - III breast cancer (or if the stage is not known):

 Call the UW Health Breast Center at either of our diagnostic and treatment locations:

To refer a patient with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer call (608) 262-5223 or (800) 622-8922.

Bone marrow transplant

Contact the program manager at (608) 262-0455 or (608) 262-1982 (fax).

All other cancer types

Call our Cancer Connect office at (608) 262-5223 or (800) 622-8922.

For the following referrals, please contact the Orthopedic Clinic at (608) 263-7540. The appointment timeframe will be first available unless otherwise indicated.

Acetabular labral tears

Suggested tests/management:

  • Dedicated hip MRI to evaluate for labral tears and cartilage degeneration

  • Evaluation and management suggestions prior to referral: Activity modification (recommend six weeks sports cessation), physical therapy, NSAIDS (daily, physician directed)

  • Patient is not a hip arthroscopy candidate if more than 55 years old, has a BMI greater than 35, is a smoker, has a HgA1C greater than 7.5 (diabetic patients), has isolated trochanteric bursitis

Arthritis of the hip

Evaluation and management suggestions prior to referral:

  • Activity modification, weight loss, body mass index less than 45, physical therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), HgA1C less than 7.5 for patients with diabetes, smoking cessation.

  • Patient is not a joint replacement candidate if on dialysis or if stented (cardiac or other vessel). Typically patients should have no elective surgery for the previous six to 12 months.

  • Patients should have evidence of arthritis in current x-rays: AP pelvis, frog views, and cross-table lateral of hip

Arthritis of the knee

Evaluation and management suggestions prior to referral:

  • Activity modification, weight loss, body mass index less than 45, physical therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), HgA1C less than 7.5 for patients with diabetes.

  • Patient is not a joint replacement candidate if on dialysis or if stented (cardiac or other vessel). Typically patients should have no elective surgery for the previous six to 12 months.

  • Patients should have evidence of arthritis in current x-rays: Standing AP, lateral, Rosenberg and Laurin views of knee

Painful total hip arthroplasty

Suggested tests/management:

  • X-rays: AP, AP pelvis, and cross-table lateral of hip

  • Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)/C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

  • Aspiration of hip if ESR/CRP is elevated

  • Bone scan

The Orthopedics Clinic will need operative notes and implant stickers from patient's original surgery faxed to (608) 262-8145 prior to appointment.

Current x-rays need to loaded to PACS system or mailed to the Orthopedics Clinic. Please call for address.

Appointment timeframe to be determined by Joint Coordinator/Provider.

Painful total knee arthroplasty

Suggested tests/management:

  • X-rays: Standing AP, lateral and sunrise views of knee

  • Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)/C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

  • Aspiration of knee if ESR/CRP is elevated, recommended to be done at University Hospital

The Orthopedics Clinic will need operative notes and implant stickers from patient's original surgery faxed to (608) 262-8145 prior to appointment.

Current x-rays need to loaded to PACS system or mailed to the Orthopedics Clinic. Please call for address.

Appointment timeframe to be determined by Joint Coordinator/Provider.

UW Health neurologists and neurosurgeons offer comprehensive consultation, evaluation and treatment of a variety of neurological and spinal disorders in adults and children. If you are a physician or health care professional looking to refer a patient, please use one of the following options:

Online
Complete the Online Request for Appointment Form when referring a patient to UW Health pediatric or adult neurology clinics.

Fill out form

Fax
Complete the request for Clinic Appointment form. This form can be used when referring a patient. Please fax the form to (608) 203-2661 or (888) 875-8490

Download fax form (pdf)

Once the form is received, it will be reviewed and processed. To confirm receipt of the form, you will receive one of the following:

  • An Appointment Status form. UW Health will contact the patient to arrange the appointment. A fax will be sent to you to notify you of the status of the appointment.

  • A Request for Additional Information form. If additional information is needed in order to schedule an appointment, a fax will be sent to you to request this information.

  • A phone call to request additional information or to communicate appointment information.

We will contact the patient directly to schedule.

To refer an adult or pediatric patient for transplantation, call the numbers listed below or fax a transplant patient referral form:

Download referral form (pdf)



Please complete our form to refer an adult or pediatric patient to Wisconsin Sleep.

Request an appointment
A mother holding her baby, who has a feeding tube inserted through the nose
Pregnancy and newborn care
One call does it all

Pregnancy and Newborn Care gives you access to the world-class team of maternal, neonatal and pediatric specialists and advanced facilities of UW Health, American Family Children's Hospital and UnityPoint Health - Meriter in Madison, Wis. Whether you have a high-risk patient or a fragile neonate, we are here to help. To make a referral or discuss care, please call (608) 263-3260 or (800) 472-0111.

The Access Center

For acute patient care needs and transfer to Madison facilities

The Access Center is for referring providers to arrange for patient transfer or admission to a hospital in Madison, Wis. If you are trying to reach a clinic, schedule an appointment or locate a current patient, please refer to the information above on referring patients for outpatient services.

The Access Center is staffed 24/7 by a team of professionals who can assist and coordinate:

  • Urgent and/or emergent transfers and admissions for adult, pediatric or neonatal patients

  • Requests for transport by Med Flight helicopter or ambulance

  • Peer-to-peer discussion between referring providers and specialty staff regarding aspects of a case

    • These case discussions do not establish a patient-provider relationship with your patient.

    • Formal consultations are outside the scope of the Access Center but are available upon request. If requested, please call the specialty clinic directly.

To contact the Access Center, call (608) 263-3260 or (800) 472-0111

When you call, please be prepared to:

  • Press the appropriate number to be connected properly.

  • Provide the following information to the Access Center nurse:

    • Name of your facility and mailing address

    • Patient's name, date of birth and vital signs

    • Brief condition description

    • Referring physician's name/contact

    • Share any healthcare Power of Attorney (if applicable)

  • Fax the patient's facesheet, and EKG, if available to (608) 265-0759

  • Push relevant images to the PACS indicated by the Access Center nurse

Clinical outreach

Resources for connecting with UW Health physicians

In Wisconsin

Provider Relations

Provider Relations is a hospital-based advocate for referring providers, their staff, referral coordinators and health plan staff.

Our coordinator is available to assist with:

  • Navigating the UW Health system and services, including communication, access issues, problems or complaint resolution

  • Referrals, including referrals to multiple specialties and coordination of timely appointments to meet your needs and the needs of your patients

Additional assistance includes providing:

  • Information about UW Health providers, specialty clinics, procedures and any information needed to access the services available

  • Clinical reports and resource information

In Illinois

For assistance with northern Illinois, please call (779) 696-7081.

Physician liaisons

Physician liaisons are available to facilitate communication and handle referral concerns between regional physicians and UW Health consultants.

For contact information to to view a map of the services: Physician liaison territories (pdf)

Physician liaisons additionally assist with relationship-building activities such as arranging speaking engagements for medical staff meetings, UW Health physician visits to community physician offices or visits to University Hospital, East Madison Hospital, American Family Children's Hospital in Madison, Wis., or SwedishAmerican Hospital in Rockford, Ill.

CCKM

Center for Clinical Knowledge Management

The Center for Clinical Knowledge Management (CCKM) evaluates and organizes evidence to drive clinical decisions that promote efficiency, consistency and quality throughout UW Health.

Image and record sharing

Resources for sharing the information necessary for your patient's care

Telemedicine programs

Safe, efficient and effective care

UW Health offers telemedicine capabilities to deliver safe, efficient and effective care to all the communities and patients we serve.

Learn about UW Health's telemedicine services





Resources

Helpful resources

Available programs and resources

Employment and training

Opportunities and growth at UW Health