Referring Physicians

Our patient access center representatives can connect you to any UF Health physician practice in Gainesville. To make a referral, schedule an appointment, or for more information, please call 352-265-5555.

Hours of Operation

  • The UF Health Physician – Patient Access Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • The center is closed on holidays.
  • After-hours, non-urgent messages are taken by our in-house answering service. Urgent requests are handled immediately by UF Health operators.

Shands Consultation Center

The Shands Consultation Center connects referring physicians with experts within UF Shands, provides clinical verbal consultations, discussions on the latest research and developments, and more. To consult a UF or community physician affiliated with UF Health Shands Hospital or to refer a patient to one of our outpatient facilities, please call the Shands Consultation Center physician referral line at 800-633-2122 or 352-265-7999.

UF Health Shands Hospital Transfer Center

Our transfer center provides an easy and efficient way for you to transfer your patients to UF Health Shands Hospital. Transfer Center staff can be reached at 800-XTRANSFER or 352-265-0559.

The Transfer Center:

  • Provides a toll-free, 24/7 one-call service for referring physicians
  • Informs the referring physician regarding the transferred patient’s arrival
  • Provides “real time” knowledge of bed availability
  • Provides the supporting data necessary for the UF Health physician to help make the definitive decision of determining if UF Health Shands Hospital is the most appropriate facility for care
  • Assists with maintaining compliance with state and federal access to healthcare laws

Transfer Center Resources

  • Medical Transportation: The Transfer Center assists in coordinating medical transportation. Transfer Center coordinators are able to recommend the use of ShandsCair, our critical care transport system of UF Health Shands Hospital.
  • Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act: Even an allegation violating the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) can cost hospitals and outpatient center hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Staying in compliance is an extremely difficult task. Learn more by reading the EMTALA Statute: 42 USC 1395 dd

Transfer Process

When you call the Transfer Center, a coordinator will ask you for information about the patient you are referring, including the patient’s:

  • Name
  • Current medical condition
  • Reason for transfer
  • Specific medical or surgical service needed
  • Type of insurance coverage

The Transfer Center coordinator will notify the appropriate UF College of Medicine physician of your request. You will be promptly advised of the decision and the bed status for your patient.

Upon acceptance of the patient, we will fax you an Inter-Hospital Transfer Agreement for the appropriate signatures. This form states that you agree that once tertiary services or all medical services available have been provided to the patient, the patient will be returned to the original facility. We ask that this form be completed and returned before the patient transport is initiated. We also ask that the medical records and consent for transfer accompany the patient during the transfer process.

We recommend that your hospital’s Utilization Review Department call the patient’s insurance company, if appropriate, to confirm the company agrees to the transfer and will cover the expense of transportation. If the company will not cover this expense, the patient needs to be informed before transfer that they could be responsible for the bill.

We do not turn down legitimate transfers because of financial reasons. Our physician may decide not to accept a patient in transfer because the medical services requested could be provided in a hospital closer to the area of the referring hospital.

The Transfer Center will send you a follow-up acknowledgement letter indicating:

  • When the patient arrived
  • The location of the patient
  • The name of the attending physician

For More Information

For more information about the Transfer Center, please call (800) 987-2673.