Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with referral

Is a referral better than a cold call? How do they work?

mock muppet — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:12:11 -0800

My insurance doesn't require referrals to specialists. I've never seen a specialist for a specific problem that wasn't initiated and referred by my doctor. If I want/need to see a specialist for something, does it make sense to see my doctor first and ask for a referral, or find a (random) specialist myself? On the other side, when does a doctor not give referrals? Up until now, I've always been referred to surgeons and radiologist and other "procedural" specialists for specific issues recognized by my nephrologist. Until this week, I hadn't had a separate Primary Care Provider since I was a child. My insurance doesn't require me to have one (though encourages it), and I hadn't had general issues important enough to bother with getting one.

Recently I talked with a social worker about issues I've been having with depression and anxiety. She recommended I find a PCP and bring it to him/her in order to get referred to a psychiatrist and/or therapist. She wasn't able to get a referral for me to any specific GP, but gave me a (vague, eventually useless) list of doctors to try. After a couple of false starts, I eventually managed to get an appointment with a doctor who is now my PCP.

When I saw him at the introductory appointment, he said he didn't refer patients (or wouldn't refer me specifically? I'm not sure) for psychiatric issues, and I'd have to find my own. So I'm back to square one with that.

It makes me wonder, more generally, when you don't strictly need a referral for your insurance, does it always make sense to see your PCP first anyway, for a referral or a recommendation? When and why do doctors sometimes refuse to make referrals? Is it because the issue is too general ("depression and anxiety" vs. "consult for angiogram")?

When is it not appropriate or unexpected to call your PCP's office and ask for a referral to see a specialist, when they'll just tell you to find one yourself and make an appointment?

Looking for an MD/psychologist to help wean me off Zoloft

docgonzo — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:24:51 -0800

Long-ago diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, I am currently on Zoloft prescribed by my GP. Please recommend to me an MD/psychologist in Vancouver, Canada to assist me in the process of weaning off of the drug. Additional details/caveats: I have generous health insurance above and beyond MSP so cost is not an overriding concern. I am open to evidence-based talk therapies (i.e., cognitive behavioural) to manage this transition. Thank you for any referrals, suggestions or insights!

In Russia, State Fairs are Sexy

charmcityblues — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:46:51 -0800

Why are Russian dating and adult sites linking to my blog, and should I be concerned? I've been noticing a steady stream of traffic to my blog from a set of Russian dating and adult video sites. As far as I can tell, they're not using any of my content (and there's nothing remotely titillating, anyway). The title of the blog does contain the word "Russia."

Something to be concerned about (hacking / virus?) Just an oddity?

If your answer involves checking the CGD codes against the Xylophone logs or anything of a similarly complex nature, please give very detailed and simple instructions. Thank you.

A recommendation for a psychotherapist in DC?

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 17:09:45 -0800

I'm looking for a psychotherapist in Washington, D.C. and would appreciate a recommendation. I've been seeing a psychiatrist for a year, but don't feel that I'm making much progress with her. Though she's been helpful in certain ways, she jumps too quickly to (often-erroneous) conclusions, she puts too much weight on things I said months ago in passing and she doesn't inspire confidence in me that she sees a bigger picture or is connecting the dots in a way that I can't alone. I'm going through a divorce after many years of marriage, and the last year has been a huge one for me in terms of change. I'd love to find a therapist (doesn't need at all to be an MD; current doc has determined that I don't need meds) who can help me through both the divorce issues and, more importantly, the work of exploring where I've been, where I am and where I want/need to go.

In the general Dupont Circle area would be preferable, but near a Metro is a must. If you have a recommendation, please email me at seekingshrink@gmail.com. Thank you.

Doctor, Dentist, Indian Chief

jason's_planet — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 14:05:18 -0800

Good afternoon. I am in the market for a doctor, of the general practitioner variety, a dentist and a new laboratory in NYC. Any referrals you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Now, for the specifics:

All three of these should be located in, or convenient transit rides from, the West Village or Western Queens (i.e. Astoria, Woodside, Sunnyside, Jackson Heights).

1. The doctor must be in the Blue Cross/Blue Shield network. He or she should have decent social and communication skills. I'm looking for someone who views the doctor-patient relationship as a partnership, not the old-timey command-and-control model. The doctor should also be able to respect my decisions not to pursue certain medical choices (i.e. saw palmetto vs. proscar).

2. The dentist should accept Blue Cross and Aetna dental insurance. He or she should also have a positive, or neutral attitude, towards wisdom teeth. The last dentist I visited wanted to extract all of my wisdom teeth, three of which were perfectly healthy, because of an issue with one. When I declined to give permission for this, she wanted me to sit around for a browbeating session from her senior partner in the business. This behavior made me uncomfortable and I don't want to experience it again. So . . . yeah, a good dentist, who takes my insurance and respects my right to make decisions about my oral health.

3. Every few months or so, I have to have blood drawn because of a medication I take. The last two times, I've visited a LabCorp franchise in my neighborhood and had . . . not so great experiences. The first time, they were overwhelmed with walk-ins and disorganized; I wound up waiting much longer than I preferred, even with an appointment. The second time, the phlebotomist treated me with contempt because I was a little anxious about needles. And then he had the nerve to ask me to provide positive feedback for him on the company's website. So . . . I'm looking for a lab where the staff are not pushy, socially challenged assclowns, are organized, and where I won't have to invest forty-five minutes of my day in a five-minute medical errand. (Before I forget: --also in the Blue Cross/Blue Shield network).

These are the three things I need in my life right now. If you can point me in the right direction, I will be very grateful, think warm thoughts of you and maybe even give you a best answer!

Who linked to my site on Facebook?

aelish — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:58:15 -0800

Who on Facebook has linked to my blog? When checking my blog's stats this morning, I noticed that there were many visitors coming in from a Facebook link to my blog. When I click on the link my stat service provides, it takes me to a Facebook page that warns me that I am leaving Facebook for an external site. I understand why I'm getting that message - the person who referenced (linked) my site may have a private page.

Is there a way to determine who has linked to my site? I have a baking blog and in the past, I was linked to by Betty Crocker's Facebook fan page. I got a great spike in visitors for several days afterwards. I was able to figure out it was the Betty Crocker site because someone left a comment on my blog indicating they had seen my recipe on Betty Crocker's page. No such luck this time...no comments yet with any clue.

I've done a search on Facebook of my blog's name, but no luck (except to find my own fan page). Is there any other way I can find out who has linked to me?

Something tells me there's an easy way to do this...!

Tracking sales referrals for the long-term?

parmanparman — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:33:58 -0800

I am working out a standard operating procedure/system for a referral marketing program with a partner firm and seeking a useful web-based or software system to track signposted, offline referrals. We are thinking of using a discount code or something along those lines but I am dealing with some distrust from my partner about how we reliably continue to track referrals through the lifetime of the sales relationship. Is this going to be based on trust or are there electronic or other systems I should be looking into?

Bay Area MDs who specialize in radiation exposure?

Napoleonic Terrier — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:36:10 -0800

Posting for a friend in Tokyo who is concerned about health effects of radiation. Am seeking referrals for medical doctors in the San Francisco Bay Area who specialize in diagnosis and/or treatment of radiation exposure.

Seeking an understanding dentist in/near San Jose

bakerina — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:59:45 -0800

San Jose/South Bay MeFites: Can you recommend a dentist who can clean my teeth and fill my (possible) cavities without making me feel like the reprobate I am? Background: I'm female, early 40s, law student. Lifelong East Coaster until 2 1/2 years ago, when I moved to San Jose, CA to attend Santa Clara U. School of Law. Will be graduating in two months, sitting for the Bar in July. To that end, I'm trying to get all my doctor's appointments taken care of before bar prep classes start. I have a primary care doctor (GP) and a psychiatrist, but never bothered to seek out a dentist or an OB-GYN (which I also need to do, but that's another question for another time). Covered by Anthem Blue Cross on my spouse's insurance.

Normally I would wait until after the bar to establish a relationship like this -- hey, I've waited this long, right? -- except that I'm noticing some brown spots on two of my back teeth (lower left side) that look to my untrained eye like cavities. They don't hurt, but my gums are bleeding a bit, and sometimes, on bad allergy days, I feel a little pressure in my ear and jawline. So I'd like to deal with them -- and possibly with any surgery -- sooner rather than later.

Of course there's a complication: I used to be very good about going to the dentist when I was younger, but in my mid-20s I gained a lot of weight. I also used to have a heart murmur -- not a dangerous one, but when I was a kid, it was noticeable enough for the pediatrician to note it on my chart. The last time I went to the dentist was about five years ago, when I was still living in NYC. He gave me a basic fluoride treatment, but didn't want to give me a deep cleaning because it could be dangerous with certain kinds of heart murmurs. He advised me to get a checkup with my gp, ask for a prescription for penicillin, and then come back for the deep cleaning. I am embarrassed to admit that I never went back, because the thought of going to the doctor was more stressful and anxiety-producing than it should have been. I just let it go, and figured that as long as I flossed and used a fluoride rinse, I should be okay.

Since that time, much has changed. I lost the weight -- not all of it but most of it -- and I've had a complete physical, including bloodwork, after being diagnosed with ADHD by a neuropsychologist. The heart murmur is gone, and even if it recurs, my gp said it's not the dangerous kind. So I'm ready to act like an adult and take care of my teeth -- except that the thought of getting the hectoring I deserve from an angry dentist is just anxiety-producing enough that I don't just want to pick a dentist at random from the insurance directory or the internet. Thus I turn to the collective wisdom of AskMe.

South Bay folks, can you recommend an excellent dentist who is good with anxious, vaguely neurotic patients? San Jose is best, but I'm willing to go all the way to San Francisco (I clerk in SF 3 days/week), but Oakland/Berkeley/East Bay would be too much of a bite out of my schedule. Proximity to Caltrain is terrific, but not necessary.

(As far as current dental regimen goes: Since Christmas I've been brushing with a Sonicare E series 2x/day, rinsing with Listerine Total 2x/day, and either flossing or using a WaterPik, although last week when I had a cold, I let the WaterPik go.)

Thanking you in advance for your patience!

Amazon referral links for charity?

veggieboy — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 12:06:35 -0800

Is there a way to donate to charity via Amazon referral links? (Yes, I've seen this question from last year.)

I have a blog with my referrer code on it, but Amazon is cutting off such links to people based in my state. So I would like to find a charity that would allow me to place their code in the links I already have.

Ideally, it would be a food- or hunger-related charity, but that's flexible.

It seems like this sort of thing ought to exist, and yet ...

(For one thing, I'm wary of just blindly googling this without being able to verify who or what is behind the links. So personal experience would be ideal here.)

How can I best structure a global employee bonus program?

mockjovial — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:47:44 -0800

How can I best structure a global employee bonus program? I am in the process of creating a global employee referral program for our company. I need to find a way to structure the program so that the bonus amounts that will be paid are appropriate for various countries. In other words, even though I might pay $1,000 USD to a U.S. employee for a hired referral, I do not plan to pay the equivalent of $1,000 USD in local currency to an employee in developing country X. If I did, I might be paying the person a bonus equal to months of their normal salary. I'm trying to keep the 'value' of the bonus consistent.

As I started to research the question, I came across the 'Big Mac Index' . This index is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity. Exchange rates should equalize the price of a basket of goods (a big mac in this case) in different countries.

I've hit a roadblock and am appealing to the hive mind for help. What are some ways that I can use this index to determine what an appropriate 'local' bonus would be for a country?

Recommend a simple way to track different referral clickthroughs to a page I don't own?

skylar — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 04:03:18 -0800

Is there an easy, free way for me to track click referrals to a page I don't own? I know bit.ly shows this information but only aggregate data. I need to be able to set multiple redirect links and get unique clickthrough data for each of them. Full explanation inside. I'm selling tickets online for a party using Brown Paper Tickets. They're great, very fluffy, very cheap... but unfortunately they don't have any kind of referral tracking system yet.

I need to track referral clickthroughs so that I know whether partner A is generating more interest than partner B.

(It would be nice to know if partner A is generating more sales than partner B, which is something Ticketweb enables me to follow with their REFID referral tracking system, but I'm not expecting that feature. Right now it would be enough to know who is generating the most demand.)

In the past I have used Bit.ly, which at least allows me to see how many clicks I get on the Bit.ly link. But their stats are in aggregate. So even if I create multiple Bit.ly URLs pointing towards the ticket page, it will only show me the total number of clicks - not the clicks for Partner A and partner B?

I don't own the ticket page so I can't put analytics on it. I'm looking for something as easy as Bit.ly but that would allow me to track different clickthrough links and see how many clicks each generated.

Any ideas?

Company referral bonus.

modoriculous — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:36:04 -0800

Is it okay to proactively go after people I can refer to my company in order to get the referral bonus? My company offers a pretty nice referral bonus for any person referred to them, is hired, and ends up staying with the company (must stay for 3 months upon hire).

I don't really have any friends or family in need of work right now but I know there are plenty of people out there that are. I want to put out an ad and propose that anyone with the qualifications reply and we can meet or talk online so I can confirm that this is not only what they're looking for, but also that they're someone my company would consider hiring.

Has anyone done this before and have any advice? Or do you think this is perhaps not an acceptable action to take? The company policy doesn't cover this, it simply states how to refer someone and the requirements to get the referral bonus.

Simple enough: a therapist in Baltimore!

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:25:45 -0800

Asking for a friend: recommendations for a great therapist in the Baltimore area, preferably accessible via public transportation. Some additional points:
* The friend I am asking for does not have a car, so access via public transportation would be most helpful. It would be especially great if they were located either around the Hopkins campus and/or main medical school, the Hopkins Bayview campus, or the Mount Vernon neighborhood.

* In terms of psychotherapeutic modality, either contemporary-psychodynamic or CBT would be amenable to my friend.

* General problems resemble depression and anxiety, so no need for specialists for other issues (e.g. BPD, OCD, phobias, PTSD, etc.)

Thanks so much, all!

Should I name drop in a cover letter?

bluefly — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 04:00:05 -0800

I'm writing a cover letter for a job application at a company. Should I mention in the letter how I found out about the opening? I heard about this job from a family friend who is high up in the company. All the sample cover letters I've been looking at have the applicants saying where they heard about the job, but it's not usually from another person. I'm used to being in academia where everyone namedrops (your research supervisor probably knows the head of the dept where you are applying, etc). But this job is in industry, so I'm not sure if it's tacky to say the person's name or not. Is it better to just say you read about the job on the company's website? If it matters, the family friend told me to let her know if I apply for the job, so she can put in a good word for me (the company is very large, and she has nothing to do with this particular hiring, although she knows the people who do).

What referral fee is appropriate for another business

vegsister — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:31:37 -0800

How large a referral fee is appropriate to offer another business for sending me clients? I am a freelance dog groomer, and sometimes groom at a shop. When the shop gets people interested in grooming, they have them call me directly to set up an appointment. The shop keeps odd hours, so often it is more convenient for me to see these clients at my home rather than at the shop, in which case I can just collect the entire fee rather than the 50% I make when I groom at the shop. I can also charge less when I work at home, which I like to do for my clients. The people at the shop would never know, but I'd like to offer them something in exchange for the referrals.

Is it dishonest or unprofessional to even see these clients at my home, or can I just give the business a smaller percentage of my earnings as a referral fee?

Is it appropriate to ask for a finder's fee? If so, how much?

melissasaurus — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:29:20 -0800

Is it appropriate to ask for a finder's fee? If so, how much? I have a friend who does web design. A contact of mine, a consultant, has a client who needs to revamp their website. Consultant asked if I knew anyone who could do the work. I plan to recommend web designer friend.

If I make the referral, is it appropriate to ask for a finder's or referral fee? If so, what are the particulars of doing this: How much is "standard"? Who pays it - designer? consultant? both? Should I ask for a flat fee or a percentage? Should it apply to any further contracts that may result, or just the one instance?

Any advice, especially from those who have paid or received such fees in the past, would be greatly appreciated.

How to request/get a referral to another doctor?

tristeza — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:26:28 -0800

How does getting a medical referral/requesting a medical referral REALLY work and how do you ask for one effectively? My mom recently got a preliminary cancer diagnosis (from a CT scan for an unrelated injury) at a medical center in Maine where she's staying for the summer. She was told that a likely first step is to remove the kidney with the mass, sooner rather than later. She's only been seen by her GP at this point.

My family wants her to be seen in Boston at a comprehensive cancer center like Dana Farber right away, before the ball really gets going in Maine. Oh, and she's a senior with MediCare.

She has a urology appt tomorrow morning as her first follow-up since the "we found a mass" news, and I want her to get a referral to Dana Farber, but I realize I'm not 100% sure how this works.

Can she simply say to the urologist, "please refer me to DF" without having a name of a specific doc? If she does, will the doc just go ahead and call DF and find someone to see my mom?

Or does the doc just say "OK" and call DF to tell them we're going to call them to make all arrangements??

Thanks for any help, we're all completely clueless about this process and I want her to have a good "script" when she goes in tomorrow.

Referral tracking / Refer a friend for contest entry

letitrain — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 17:55:58 -0800

Refer a friend / referral tracking system? I'm running a contest and would like to try a referral system where an entrant can refer five friends and receive extra chances to win. Is there anything simple and web-based out there that can accomplish this?

Someone I love needs a lawyer.

bricoleur — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:38:41 -0800

How would you go about finding the best criminal defense attorney in your state?

How do I choose a scoliosis specialist?

desjardins — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:24:21 -0800

How do I go about choosing an orthopedist to monitor my adult scoliosis? Any personal recommendations in the Chicago area? I was born with severe scoliosis and am now 33. I haven't had an orthopedist since I was a child and he's since retired. I haven't been good about seeking regular medical care either since I take fairly good care of myself (don't smoke, eat right) and don't have any chronic conditions. Well, yesterday I went to the ER with severe neck pain and X-rays showed I have a degenerative condition in my cervical vertebrae. (Although the Dr. thought my pain was muscular; this was just an aside.) The ER doctor told me to make an appointment with an orthopedist but only gave me a general reference, not to one who specializes in scoliosis. I did some research online and came up with a list of specialists in Chicago. How the heck do I whittle this down? I live WAYYY out in the 'burbs, so none of them are near me.

Doctor Referral

josher71 — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:50:04 -0800

What is the logic in insurance companies requiring referrals from a primary care physician when you go to a specialist?

Please tell me about your employee referral program (if you have one).

mockjovial — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:52:04 -0800

Please tell me about your employee referral program (if you have one). Hi - I have been tasked with putting together an employee referral program for a 3 billion dollar global food ingredient company. (MMMMM corn syrup.)
I'd like to get a sense of what is in place at your organization to reward employees for referring candidates who are hired.

Any details you can share would be much appreciated. Thanks!

What do they call the feature on amazon.com when they say, "People who bought this book also bought...these other books"?

ostranenie — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:56:51 -0800

What do they call the feature on amazon.com when they say, "People who bought this book also bought...these other books"? What's the technical term for the "people who bought this also bought..." on amazon.com and various other sales websites?

Standalone shopping cart with Amazon-like referral system?

Wild_Eep — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 17:18:36 -0800

Anyone know a shopping cart with an Amazon.com-like referral system? I'm building a website with an online store for a publishing company and they'd like to be able to offer some sort of referral compensation (a small percentage of a referred sale) to people who refer buying customers.

Amazon has this kind of system. You sign up with amazon, and embed your secret ID number in an amazon url for an item. If people click on the link and buy the item, you get a small percentage of that sale. When your total of referral payments gets above some arbitrary amount (like $20, for instance), you can have a check cut to you, or get a gift certificate for the store.

I'm currently interested in using ZenCart, but I don't know if they have this type of thing available, or if there's a plug-in.

Perhaps there are other meta-websites that would allow me to add this kind of service on top of an existing shopping-cart site?

Is there some obvious solution that I'm oblivious to?