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Healthcare providers in Nova Scotia can now send referrals digitally. Electronic referrals (eReferrals) make it easier to send, track, and manage referrals while improving coordination and access to care for patients.
This resource hub provides:
Whether you’re new to eReferral or a regular user, this site helps you streamline referrals and manage your workflow efficiently.
Launched in March 2023, eReferrals are a secure, electronic system for sending and managing referrals across Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health. They help providers communicate and coordinate care more effectively. eReferrals are now the provincial standard for sending referrals and became mandatory in April 2024 for eligible providers.
Who can send eReferrals:
More provider groups will be added over time.
Starting December 8, 2025, additional diagnostic imaging services will be available for eReferral:
These join the existing eReferral options:
I use the eReferrals tool daily and find it easy to access Diagnostic Imaging requisitions. As a Super User at my site, I support my teammates with any questions they may have. I enjoy using it and it gives me hope for a completely paperless future. My advice to new users: take it one step at a time, and success will follow.
April Rafuse, General Office Clerk South Shore Regional Hospital
Not having to wait for missing information to be faxed back has sped up the booking process. Communication among referrers, patients and our team has improved significantly. Referrers can check on their requests within the tool without calling our department and patients can receive emails notifications about their request.
Angela Salter, Booking Clerk, Hants Community Hospital
I enjoy using the eReferrals portal and believe this to be a very useful means of referring and keeping track of referrals. I would highly recommend this program to other users.
Dr. Harsh Mishra, Family Physician, Rockingham Ridge Medical Centre
I’m an operations guy, and see the eReferrals system as innovative. It’s an opportunity to make better use of the resources that we have in the province. This will save people’s lives.
Craig Maclaren, surgical patient and director of operations for a food services company
My family doctor told me about a new eReferral service where I would receive notifications about my son’s referral status. I got an email confirming my son’s appointment the same day my doctor sent it. Within a couple of days, we had an appointment time. It was all very quick and gave me peace of mind that it was being handled. It worked like a charm.
Mary Ellen Rainey, mother of IWK Health patient
I’m very happy to be a part of this remarkable innovation. The ability for primary healthcare providers such as myself to make use of a streamlined online e-referral system has been a true game-changer for my own medical practice, which is already seeing marked improvements in efficiencies and effectiveness.
Dr. Ajantha Jayabarathan, Family Physician, Coral Shared-Care Health Centre, Halifax
We now have new insight into the number and types of referrals being sent and their status, which is improving our ability to plan, coordinate referrals, communicate with patients and providers, and support more timely access to surgical consults.
Dr. Greg Hirsch, Cardiac Surgeon and Senior Medical Director, Nova Scotia Health Perioperative Services Network
eReferrals decreases the chances of missing or losing referrals compared to the old traditional fax system and you get more details about the patient that helps to prioritize the consult. It is also very important for the patient to be able to track their referral, where it is and when to expect to see the specialist.
Dr. Ahmed Jad, General and Bariatric Surgeon, Colchester East Hants Health Centre, Truro
Because the new eReferrals form has required fields, we get all the information needed to do our jobs. eReferrals cuts down on duplicate referrals and time spent obtaining missing information. The tracking process is much more efficient than the previous faxing and filing methods!
Lynda Vidito, MRI Team Lead, Technologist,
Valley Regional Hospital
eReferrals has completely changed the way I can refer my patients. It is easy to use and has cut down on my administrative time doing referrals. I like the choice of being able to refer to a central hub or an individual. I look forward to the expansion of the system to include other referral pathways.
Dr. Samson Ezomo, Family Physician,
Scotia Square Medical, Halifax
Having a system where we can support and follow surgical referrals from the primary care provider through to Central Intake, and then to the surgeon’s office, helps connect patients with the most appropriate provider, as quickly as possible.
Megan Adams, Surgical Referral Officer and Team Lead, Nova Scotia Health, Surgical Central Intake office
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We use the eReferral system for all our consults to the pediatric ear, nose and throat clinic at IWK Health. Triaging consults by physicians has become much easier and takes very little time or effort. The system is part of the future success of Nova Scotia’s healthcare system.
Dr. Gerard Corsten, Chief, Pediatric Surgery and Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon, IWK Health
There has never been a referral process for surgical referrals this sophisticated, that has feedback to the patient, referring clinician, and the surgeon.
Dr. Harold Berghuis, Department Head, Family Practice, Northern Zone
If you are a primary care provider or surgeon, select the appropriate onboarding request and complete the form to get started. You will receive a follow up communication from a deployment team member once this is complete. Other healthcare providers are not yet being onboarded to Ocean. Information will be shared as access is expanded to other healthcare providers in the future.
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