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Referrals · Migration

Why are referrals delayed after an Epic migration?

Treat the delay as a handoff problem before assuming the entire referral process is broken. Separate order entry, required information, authorization, workqueue ownership, scheduling readiness and patient-contact follow-up. Then identify the first point where the expected owner or status transition no longer matches the local post-migration process.

Useful for: Referral coordinators, ambulatory operations, practice managers and scheduling teams

First checks

Work through the workflow before escalating blindly.

  1. Write the referral workflow as a short sequence of operational handoffs.
  2. Identify the first handoff that changed after migration.
  3. Confirm whether authorization, missing information or scheduling readiness is the actual blocker.
  4. Use the local aging threshold before escalating.
  5. Record whether the same failure is recurring across staff or locations.

Ownership questions

  • Who owns the referral at the current stage?
  • What event tells the next team the referral is ready?
  • Who owns exceptions when the normal route does not work?
  • Who approves the local post-migration process?
Avoid making the problem worse

Common failure patterns

  • Creating a duplicate referral to make the work visible.
  • Assuming every post-migration delay is a training issue.
  • Sending patient details or screenshots to HelpEpic.

When to escalate

If the expected queue, routing rule or status transition appears inconsistent with the approved build, send the issue to the authorized application team with the expected handoff, actual handoff, operational impact and checks already completed.

Related resources

Continue with the closest workflow tool.

Referral triage cardFirst 10 Shifts kitMigration support
Boundary: Your organization’s approved policy, configuration, security controls and escalation process always control. HelpEpic is independent workflow guidance, not clinical advice or official Epic support. Never send HelpEpic patient names, DOBs, MRNs, screenshots, records, passwords, tokens or confidential internal information.