Dialing for Doctors: New Physician Referral Line Debuts

Southcoast has launched a new toll-free 24-hour physician referral line to make the task of finding a physician easier for patients and Southcoast staff. The physician referral line is at 1-800-497-1727.

“Our new physician referral line gives our community a central point of contact to find the right Southcoast physician,” said Jim Rattray, Director of Public Relations & Marketing. “This is a key service our patients have been asking for.”

When a call comes to the physician referral line, an attendant will ask for search criteria, such as specialty, town, languages spoken and years in service. Whenever possible, the caller will be given at least three names of physicians who meet their criteria. The service will also connect the caller directly to a physician’s office during business hours and send a follow-up letter listing all physicians that meet the caller’s criteria. The search software being used helps spread referrals equitably among Southcoast physicians.

The call-in line supplements the current online physician finder at our website, www.southcoast.org. The online physician directory has also been enhanced to include additional information about physicians, such as languages spoken, office hours and information about their medical education.