29Manner of patient referrals

#### 29 Manner of patient referrals (1) For section 132A of the Act, this regulation and regulations 30 and 31 set out the manner in which a patient is to be referred by a referring practitioner to another practitioner for the purposes of: (a) an item in the general medical services table; or (b) an item in a determination made under subsection 3C(1) of the Act; specifying a service to be rendered by a specialist or consultant physician, in the practice of his or her speciality, to a patient referred to the specialist or consultant physician. (2) The referring practitioner must consider the need for the referral. (3) The referral must give the specialist, or consultant physician, any information about the patient’s condition that the referring practitioner considers necessary. (4) Unless subregulation 30(1) or (2) applies, a referral must be: (a) given in writing; and (b) signed by the referring practitioner; and (c) dated. (4A) If the referring practitioner is a specialist, or consulting physician, the referral must: (a) be endorsed with the name of the general practitioner, participating midwife or participating nurse practitioner nominated by the patient; or (b) if the patient is unwilling or unable to nominate a general practitioner, participating midwife or participating nurse practitioner for the purposes of paragraph (a)—contain a statement to that effect. (5) Unless subregulation 30(3) applies, the specialist or consultant physician must receive the referral before giving the service to the patient.