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Internal Medicine Referral

Case Profile	The internal medicine service seeks referrals in the areas of cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology,infectious disease, nutrition, respiratory medicine, and urology. For many cases that may ultimately require surgery, it may be appropriate to initiate a referral with the internal medicine service for assessment. Diagnostic procedures performed by the internal medicine service include endoscopy, bronchoscopy, electrocardiography, feeding tube placement, endocrine testing, and tru-cut biopsy Internal medicine referral cases requiring diagnostic imaging procedures, such as ultrasonography, contrast radiography, nuclear medicine, CT, MRI are coordinated through the radiology service. Consultations are also available from the dermatology, surgical, neurology, ophthamology, and oncology services.
Initiating a Referral Appointment	Referring veterinarians should contact us at 334-844-4690 for available appointments, or use the online referral form provided. If a timely appointment is not available, special arrangements can sometimes be made on a case by case basis at the discretion of the attending clinician. In such cases, an attending clinician will contact the referring veterinarian by telephone to discuss the case and possible arrangements.
Making an Emergency Referral	An attending clinician will attempt to accommodate same day emergency referrals of genuine medical emergencies. Referring veterinarians should contact the appointments desk and indicate that a same day referral is requested. You will be put in contact with an attending clinician as soon as possible.
What about work completed prior to referral?	Generally, initial screening blood work (CBC, biochemical profile, urinalysis, HWT, FeLV/FIV, T4) and survey radiography should be completed prior to referral. Copies of radiographs, laboratory and histopathology reports help expedite the referral process and minimize duplication of diagnostic tests. Along with this information, a completed referral form and case summary should accompany the referral. In most cases, it is desirable to have owners withhold food on the morning of appointment day.
Important Owner Information About Referral	The internal medicine service seldom completes a diagnostic work-up in a single day. Therefore, most referral cases are hospitalized for 24 to 72 hours during which time diagnostic tests are performed. Therapeutic options are more specifically addressed after assessment of the diagnostic work-up. Some owners wish to remain in Auburn during the period of their pet’s hospitalization and stay at one of several area hotels. Daily visitations are generally encouraged but may be limited by their pet’s medical condition. Students will maintain telephone contact with owners on a daily basis. Obviously, the ultimate costs to owners will depend on the extent of the pet’s problems and the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures conducted. At the initial visit we will make every attempt to provide an estimate of the diagnostic work-up and owners will be asked to leave a 50% deposit of this estimate. Costs for further therapy will be discussed in detail at the time a diagnosis is made and may require an additional deposit. Typically, an internal medicine diagnostic work-up estimate ranges from $400.00 to $750.00. Estimates for further therapy vary considerably with the underlying disease process.