Deciding to refer patients for private imaging can feel overwhelming for many healthcare professionals. Questions about processes, turnaround times, and patient experience often create uncertainty. 

To address these concerns, we sat down with our Referrer Relationships Manager, Will Corderoy, to discuss how Oryon simplifies the referral journey. 

Whether you’re considering your first referral or looking to enhance your current patient pathway, his interview offers practical guidance on working with Oryon to deliver exceptional care for your patients.

Hi Will, could you start off with telling us a little about your role as a Referrer Relationships Manager at Oryon. 

WC: As an RRM at Oryon, I am responsible for ensuring that our referring clinicians have a clear understanding of how our services can benefit their patients and integrate seamlessly with their own clinics. 

By providing clinicians with the right information, we empower them to make informed decisions about how Oryon’s services can enhance the patient’s overall experience.

This information includes a range of elements, such as how pricing works for self-funding patients, the use of both clinician and patient portals during the booking process, and ensuring radiologist reports align with clinicians’ expectations.

I also work closely with private clinics to establish partnerships, helping ensure that patients have a pre-arranged imaging pathway when their treatment plan requires.

How does the referrer program help achieve this vision, and who can benefit most from it?

WC: The scan referral service (SRS) breaks down barriers to private healthcare in a fast and efficient manner. The SRS connects patients who need answers with established private doctors who are versed in analysing clinical indications and providing a referral for the appropriate scan. 

These doctors then make the radiologist’s report easy to understand for patients and can advise on whether onward care is necessary.

What key benefits would you highlight to make referrers excited about partnering with Oryon?

WC: Anyone considering becoming a referrer at Oryon should have in mind a few key ‘selling points’

These are: 

Price for their patients:  Oryon’s affordability and variable pricing structure mean that patients have the autonomy to choose a price and appointment that is right for them.

The booking process: Our portal allows clinicians and their teams to refer a patient within minutes, offering access to schedule their own patient appointments via our live availability calendar, or leave it to our dedicated bookings team to contact the patient and arrange on their behalf. This means that clinicians and clinics can choose to manage their own patient appointments or have Oryon alleviate the pressure that comes with additional admin.

Same-day availability: Clinicians can make sure their patient journey is not spread out and inconvenient. Patients can see their consultant and have their scan on the same day, which benefits both the patient and the clinician’s service offering.

Report turnaround time: 1 working day. This means that clinics and patients can provide a fast and reliable service and get answers for their patients quickly. The service that they themselves can offer their patients when using Oryon offers valuable benefits to the patient and their own service offering.  

Our radiologists: We work with a large number of fantastic radiologists across all specialisms that span all four modalities Oryon offers.

Scanner availability: We have both 1.5T and 3T scanners at no price difference, whilst giving more options to suit a referrer’s preference.

What does the typical experience look like for someone who refers a patient to Oryon? 

WC: As I mentioned before, the referral process is extremely straightforward. Clinicians or their teams can submit referrals through the portal in under five minutes and then track the status of the patient’s appointments and reports in real time.

Alternatively, if clinicians prefer to email their referral forms, our bookings team will proactively upload them to the system and contact the patient to arrange their scan. The referring clinician can still monitor the patient’s appointment progress via the portal.

Once the radiologist’s report is complete, a notification is sent to the clinician confirming it has been uploaded to the portal, where it can be downloaded securely.

Patient images are also available in the portal immediately after the scan is completed (before the report is even complete) and can be downloaded straight away.

Additionally, our team can share images via IEP or Egress if preferred.

End-to-end, the whole process won’t take more than 5 minutes, from logging in to completing the referral form.

How does Oryon’s accessibility make the service more convenient for both patients and referrers?

WC: Oryon’s long opening hours and weekend availability really highlight its emphasis on accessibility. Patients can benefit from additional capacity Monday-Friday in the afternoons at our Dover St location and across 3 sites on weekends.

Our early starts and late closing hours mean that patients can benefit from scans that work around their schedules, whilst also allowing us to preserve time throughout the core hours of our day for same-day appointments. 

Could you walk us through the booking portal process? 

WC: Our booking process is better than any of our competitors.

To log in, you just click on the ‘Refer a Patient’ button and fill out patient details, select the type of scan you want and then add your clinical indications. You can either choose to book the patient yourself, with access to our live calendar, or skip this step, and our bookings team can arrange the appointment with the patient directly. 

You’ll be able to track your referrals’ progress right from triage to appointment scheduling in the ‘My Referrals’ section. This is also where you can find the images and report attached. It’s that easy!

Lastly, what advice would you give to someone considering becoming a referrer with Oryon?

WC: Firstly–-ask questions! Never hesitate to contact either me or our teams when first using us; we’re here to make sure your clinic has a sustainable pathway, so being ‘in-the-know’ is key. This could be about the referral process, our radiologists or our bookings process – we’re happy to help.

Secondly—try us out! The best way to start understanding how efficient we can work is by trialling us. Ask your patients for feedback and relay it to us.

Thirdly—come and visit! We are always welcome to offer clinic tours or meet our referrers for a coffee!

Our Referrer team is available to answer your questions and guide you through the process. 

Whether you want to discuss specific patient needs, explore our portal system, or arrange a clinic visit, we’re here to support your journey. 

Contact our team or you can even get in touch with Will directly, to discover how Oryon can enhance your patient care pathway while maintaining the exceptional service standards your patients expect.