Referring Practitioners Ordering Outpatient Services in Hospitals

Outpatient services in hospitals may be ordered (and patients may be referred for hospital outpatient services) by a practitioner who is responsible for the care of the patient; licensed in, or holds a license recognized in the jurisdiction where he/she sees the patient; acting within his/her scope of practice under State law; and authorized by the medical staff to order the applicable outpatient services under a written hospital policy that is approved by the governing body. This includes both practitioners who are on the hospital medical staff and who hold medical staff privileges that include ordering the services, as well as other practitioners who are not on the hospital medical staff, but who satisfy the hospital's policies for ordering applicable outpatient services and for referring patients for hospital outpatient services.