IV.A Referral Tool Overview

The Referral Tool is an automated, HIPAA-compliant resource that allows all staff at NWD Agencies to provide electronic referrals to one or more Doors. The primary purposes of the Referral Tool are to 1) reduce the number of times participants have to tell their story to agencies, and 2) create an electronic feedback loop that allows staff making the referral to know that the referral was picked-up and acted upon, reducing the number of individuals who fall through the cracks. 

The Referral Tool was designed by reviewing intake and application forms currently used by the Doors and identifying common data elements. While the form does not allow for direct transfer of data from a Door’s electronic system into the referral form, information that is available can be easily copied and pasted from the Door's intake form into the referral form so that the participant does not need to repeat it. 

Staff should use the Referral Tool to make referrals to any Door within the NWD Network, with the exception of agreements already in place for making referrals between agencies. While the Referral Tool does not collect protected health information, each Door has set forth requirements for completing a Common Consent form, which is further described below. If staff are unsure whether a consent form should be completed, they should speak with their agency’s Door Referral Contact (DRC). 

A recording of the training on using the Referral Tool can be found at https://zoom.us/rec/share/dFGHgh7ackTu3Tbdgke5UrDt6gNOwZBJfV1MGuzntxFlgglHJptSTPbjrGpe-r4O.l4Jjv9tH6P8bqd__?startTime=1599760493000. The access passcode is CgV2#53v.

How the Referral Tool Works and Who is Involved

The Referral Tool gathers a standard set of information across all Doors and also contains brief, supplemental, Door-specific items to help the Door receiving the referral understand why the referral is being made and provide guidance about next steps. 

The tool is available to staff at any of the NWD Network agencies. Each Door then has identified staff monitoring these referrals, known as the Door Referral Contact (DRC). The DRC has an agency-specific login that they can use to open and monitor existing referrals.

The referral tool is divided into three primary phases:

·        Phase 1: Generating a Referral- All staff in the NWD Network are able to generate a referral using the Referral Tool found at: www.hinwd.org. Staff should provide as much information as available and submit the referral to all appropriate agencies on behalf of the participant.

·        Phase 2: Reviewing and Acting on Referral- Once the referral is submitted, the system will generate a referral notification to all identified Doors and provide an email notification of the referral to the primary Door contact at the agency receiving the referral. The DRC will review the referral and triage the referral to the appropriate staff.

·        Phase 3: Closing the Feedback Loop- After the referral has been acted on  the DRC will indicate that the referral has been picked up. At this point the system will generate an email to the staff who provided the original referral informing him/her of the action.

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