Managing incoming referrals

Incoming referrals are managed from Referrals. This is the organization-wide work queue for front-desk and back-office teams. Doctors do not use this inbox.

How do I find the referral inbox address and fax number?

Use Referrals when another practice needs to know where to send referrals. When the page is wide enough, the Referral inbox panel shows the email address for forwarded referrals and, when available, the fax number for faxed referrals. On narrower layouts, the panel is hidden.

Use Referrals (1) in the left sidebar to open the inbox. The Referral inbox panel (2) shows the forwarding email address and, when available, the fax number to share with sending practices. The Inbox health card (3) sits below it when the layout is wide enough.

The Referral inbox panel (1) holds the forwarding details. Use Copy referral email (2) to copy the email address, and Copy referral fax number (3) to copy the fax number when it is shown.

1. In the left sidebar, click Referrals (1).
2. If Referral inbox (4) is visible, copy the address under Forward referrals to.
3. If Or fax referrals to appears, copy that fax number too.
4. If Referral inbox is not visible, widen the page or open Fax settings to find the forwarding details.
5. Share the copied address or number with the sending practice.

New referrals appear in the table after Ona receives and starts reading the document.

How do I review incoming referrals?

Use Referrals to review what Ona read from the source document before you link it to a patient. The table shows the patient named on the referral, the reason, sender, insurance, status, received date, and an Actions menu on each row. Archived referrals are hidden unless you turn on Show archived in Filters; archived rows show Archived in the Status column. You can also use the search field in Filters to find referrals by text.

In the referral detail, use More (1) for extra actions, Link patient (2) to connect the referral to a chart, and Source & processing (3) to review where it came from and how it was read.

In the left sidebar, click Referrals to open the inbox and review the row you want.

1. Use the Status column (3) to find referrals that are still processing, failed, or archived.
2. Select a referral row to open the referral detail.
3. Use the row Actions menu to open Open referral, Open PDF in new tab, Copy link, Link patient, Archive, Restore, or Delete permanently when those options are available.
4. Compare the extracted details with the PDF, especially fields marked as low confidence.
5. Check the patient name, date of birth, reason, sender, insurance, providers, and supporting documents.

The referral detail keeps the PDF and extracted information together so you can verify the referral before it becomes part of a patient chart.

How do I link a referral to a patient?

Link the referral after you confirm the patient match. This prevents a referral for one patient from being attached to another patient's chart.

Use the Patient area (1) to check who the referral names, then use Link patient (2) to connect it. The patient name (3) and date of birth (4) below help you confirm the match before you link it.

On the same page, open the referral you want to link.

1. Find the referral and review the patient name and date of birth in the Patient column.
2. Select Link patient on the referral row.
3. Choose the correct existing patient, or create a new patient from the referral details if no chart exists.

Linking applies the referral's extracted details to the patient. For a fax-sourced referral, linking also connects the source fax when it is not already linked. If you unlink later, only the referral is unlinked.

What do referral statuses mean?

Open Referrals from the left sidebar and use the Status column to decide what needs attention next. You can also use the search field in Filters to find referrals by text. On narrower layouts, status, linked, and Show archived filters are under Filters; the button shows a count when filters are active. The search field no longer shows a visible Search label, and it includes a shortcut hint.

Use Status (1) to see whether a referral is still being read, finished, failed, or archived. The Inbox health summary (2) shows the queue at a glance. Turn on Show archived referrals (3) to include archived items in the table.

Status	What it means
Processing	Ona is reading the PDF and extracting referral details.
Processed	Ona finished reading the referral. Review it and link it to a patient if needed.
Failed	Ona could not read the referral. Open the referral and check the PDF or source document.
Archived	The referral is archived. Turn on Show archived to include archived referrals in the table.
When the page is wide enough, the Inbox health panel (5) summarizes unlinked, processing, failed, and total referrals at a glance.

Where are referral settings?

Referral forwarding settings are part of Fax settings. In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click Fax & Referrals. If you open the old Settings → Referrals page, Ona redirects you to Fax settings instead.

Use Settings (1) in the left sidebar, then choose Fax & Referrals (2) under Communication to manage referral forwarding.

Owners and admins can manage settings. Staff can work the Referrals inbox, but they do not have Settings access. For a fuller access breakdown, see Roles, licenses, and permissions.

What can't I do here?

Open Referrals from the left sidebar. Access and actions are limited in these ways:

• Doctors cannot use the organization-wide referral inbox.
• Staff can work incoming referrals, but cannot manage referral or fax settings.
• Settings → Referrals is not a separate settings page anymore; it redirects to Fax settings.
• A referral in Processing is still being read, so review the extracted details after processing finishes.
• Archived referrals do not appear in the table unless Show archived is on.

Common questions

Can I create a patient from an incoming referral?

Yes. In the left sidebar, click Referrals, then use Link patient when the referral is for someone who does not already have a patient chart. Create a patient from the referral details in the picker.

Should I link a referral before reviewing it?

Review the patient name and date of birth first. Linking the wrong referral attaches information to the wrong patient chart.

How do I archive a referral?

In the left sidebar, click Referrals, then use the row Actions menu and choose Archive. Ona asks you to confirm Archive this referral? before it archives the referral, and the archived referral stays in the record history. Turn on Show archived to find it again.

How do I restore an archived referral?

In the left sidebar, click Referrals, turn on Show archived in Filters, then use the row Actions menu on the archived referral and choose Restore.

What does the source on a referral mean?

The Received column shows whether the referral came from Fax, Email, or Upload.

Why do I see a referral on a patient chart but not in a doctor's inbox?

The organization-wide Referrals inbox is for owners, admins, and staff. Doctors see referrals after they are tied to a patient chart.

What should I do with a failed referral?

In the left sidebar, click Referrals, then open the referral and check the PDF or source document. If the referral cannot be read automatically, use the document to enter or follow up on the patient information manually.