Making A Referral
We Welcome Your Referrals
We understand you have a choice for referring to a specialist, especially throughout the Valley. The quality of primary care in our community is excellent. For those times, however, when you know a patient could benefit by our expertise, equipment or medical intervention, please know that we welcome your calls and will be honored to serve as your health-care partner. We enjoy the camaraderie and collegiality our profession affords by the nature of the referral relationship. If there is anything that we can do personally to assist you, please let us know. We enjoy visiting your practices, providing lunch ‘n learns, or simply sharing a cup of coffee.
Referral Forms
Tips For A Successful Referral
Cardiology Referrals
Dr. Church is available in different locations on different days. On Monday, he is in Scottsdale, and sees appointments in the Scottsdale Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Center. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he is at Arizona Veterinary Specialists in Gilbert. Thursdays, he sees patients in Peoria in our newest location, Canyon State Veterinary Specialties. All appointments are scheduled through our Gilbert location, and we will help your client schedule their appointments at the most convenient location.
When your client calls to schedule an appointment with Dr. Church, we will call you and request records. We always ask for the last year of medical records. This should include all medical notes, physical exams, lab results, and previous and current radiographic images. Imaging is extremely important for a cardiology referral, as this is one of the best indicators of current cardiac status and improvement over time.
Depending on the cardiac condition, Dr. Church may recommend either an echocardiogram and/or EKG or holter monitor. Radiographs may be recommended if no current images are available. If any additional testing is recommended, we will give your client a detailed explanation and cost estimate.
Internal Medicine Referrals
Our Internal Medicine doctors see patients Monday through Friday in Gilbert and Peoria. For internal medicine appointments, we ask that you send all medical notes, physical exams, lab results, previous and current diagnostic images and associated reports, and any other relevant information. We ask that the patient is fasted, unless diabetic. Water and medications are fine up until the appointment time.
We know that it can be tough for your clients to come to a veterinary appointment during the week. As such, we strive to get all diagnostics and treatment done in the same visit to optimize their time. For internal medicine, it is difficult for us to give your clients an estimate prior to their visit. Multiple factors come into play when we put together their treatment plans. We review the records and test results, take a detailed history, and perform a thorough exam before putting together an individualized, detailed treatment plan. If your client would like a rough estimate before the referral, we ask that you, the doctor, call, and we can discuss the case in detail to assist.
Outpatient Diagnostic Imaging & Teleradiology Services
Our radiologists perform all outpatient ultrasounds and CTs in Gilbert and Peoria. Outpatient ultrasounds can be a source of confusion for your clients. Once clients hear the word "ultrasound," that can be all they think about. Please be sure to specify whether you want just an outpatient ultrasound or whether you want the case referred to Internal Medicine for a consultation and work up. For outpatient services, we ask for a year of records and any pertinent imaging you have performed. We also ask that the patients don't eat after midnight the night prior (unless the patient is diabetic). Water is OK up to the time of the appointment. For ultrasounds, we will call you as soon as the ultrasound is completed to relay the results and will have a written report to you before the end of our workday.
Outpatient CTs, are all planned and interpreted by our board-certified radiologist on site. This means minimal turn around time for a report. We will call you with a verbal report the same day as the CT, and written reports are usually completed within 24 hours.
If you would like to have your radiographs interpreted by a local board-certified radiologist, we also offer same day teleradiology services. If you would like more information regarding any of these services, please give us a call.