Solution · Healthcare administration

Referrals, authorisations and complaints by the procedure, in the time the procedure sets

A referral waits because one field is missing. A prior authorisation is resubmitted twice. A complaint is acknowledged late. The procedures are written; the front desk is busy. Ovenbird gives the administrator the next step for this patient's case and counts the deadline.

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Referral R-5531 · SchedulingReceived 2 days ago

Specialist referral, insurer requires prior authorisation

Referral form complete. Authorisation not yet submitted. Patient has called twice.

Asks firstAuthorisation required for this insurer?Is the referral form complete?

NextSubmit the prior authorisation today with the referral and the last consultation note; tell the patient the expected decision time.

Do not schedule before the authorisation number is on the record.

📘 Referral and authorisation procedure

“Where the insurer requires prior authorisation, it is submitted within two working days of a complete referral, with the referral and the latest consultation note attached.”

Sounds familiar?

Cases wait on a missing fieldNobody knows which one until the rejection comes back.
Deadlines counted by handAcknowledgement and response windows missed at the busiest desk.
Staff turnover resets the knowledgeThe procedure is relearned by every new administrator.

The procedures you already have

Referral processingWhat a complete referral needs, where it goes, when it's returned to the sender.
Prior authorisationWhich payer requires what, deadlines, what to attach, who escalates.
Scheduling exceptionsCancellations, no-shows, urgent slots: the rule for this case.
Complaints and feedbackAcknowledgement deadlines, who investigates, what the response must contain.

What changes

ReferralsTodayIncomplete referrals bounce for weeks.With OvenbirdWhat a complete referral needs for this clinic, requested from the referrer at step one.
Prior authorisationTodayPayer rules live in people's heads.With OvenbirdWhich payer requires what, the deadline, what to attach — the procedure quoted.
Scheduling exceptionsTodayCancellations and urgent slots are handled by habit.With OvenbirdThe rule for this case, applied the same way by every coordinator.
ComplaintsTodayResponse deadlines are missed.With OvenbirdAcknowledgement dates, who investigates, what the response must contain.
Across all fourAdministrative staff trained on procedures, not on the job; coordinators see deadlines as steps; procedures corrected from the desk. Not clinical decision support: Ovenbird never advises on care.

How it works

1
Point it at the documents you have
Confluence, Google Docs, Notion or a web page. No rewriting; Ovenbird reads the live version and shows which one it followed.
2
People ask on the work in front of them
In Slack, on the web or from the record: the one next step, the fact it depends on asked first, the paragraph quoted.
3
Corrections and training come from the same page
Every "this is wrong" becomes a proposed edit. Every procedure becomes a short course with refreshers and records.

Built for

Practice or operations managerCases moved by procedure, fewer resubmissions.
Patient experience leadComplaints acknowledged and resolved within the windows.
Front-desk supervisorsNew staff handle authorisations alone in days.

What a pilot measures

Referrals returnedIncomplete referrals bounced back.
Authorisation deadlines missedRequests filed late.
Complaint response timesDays to a compliant response.

Agreed before the pilot. Reported after 90 days, before and after.

Questions buyers ask

Does patient data leave our systems?

Only the case context needed for the step is processed per request; nothing is used for training and workspaces are isolated. See the DPA.

Does it talk to patients?

No. It tells staff what the procedure requires a contact to include; staff write it.

Our procedures change often.

Each answer shows the version it followed, and people trained on an old version are told what changed.

Works with Jira · Confluence · Slack · Google Docs. Processes stay where they are; Ovenbird reads them live and shows which version it followed.

See it on one of your own documents

Paste a link to a procedure. The next step and the course exist the same minute.