Referrals for Specialty Care

How Referrals Work - For Students with Cardinal Care

Students who are enrolled in Cardinal Care and who are eligible for services at Vaden Health Center, may wish to obtain a referral from a Vaden provider in order to access (medical) specialist care through Stanford Health Care, Menlo Medical Clinic, or Sutter Health, depending on the type of medical care needed. We encourage eligible students to first seek care from a Vaden provider and then to work with that provider to access specialty care if it is needed. Students enrolled in Cardinal Care may also opt to seek specialist care without a referral from Vaden, but may encounter difficulties if that specialist requires referral.

If/when a referral is needed, the Vaden Health Insurance and Referral Office will process the referral (i.e., gather and forward information required) in one business day if ‘stat’ or ‘urgent’ and in two to four business days if ‘routine.’ Students are notified by secure message when this step has been completed. Typically, the referral is received by a referral center, and once that has occurred, the referral is distributed to the appropriate specialty clinic. 

Note: This distribution may occur several days after Vaden staff have processed the referral. In some instances the clinic will contact the student regarding an appointment and in others the student must contact the clinic to make the appointment. For certain specialties, available appointments can be weeks out (or longer). Should this be true, you may need to consider another option in the area. Please note that in order to access specialist care at Palo Alto Medical Foundation/Sutter, it may be necessary to establish a primary care relationship with a Sutter provider prior to seeking a referral for specialist care.

To search for an Aetna participating network provider (doctor, hospital, pharmacy, etc.), visit the Aetna website or call 1.888.834.4708.

2024-2025 Tier 1 Additional Ancillary Service Providers

If you are seen at Vaden for a (medical) Primary Care service, and the clinician determines that you should see a specialist, a medical referral may be created for you. A medical referral is a written order from your primary care doctor/provider to see a specialist for a specific medical service. Medical referrals serve multiple purposes: they may be initiated to ‘open the door’ for securing an appointment with a specialist (in many instances, specialists will not accept patients unless they are referred by a provider who is knowledgeable about them) and/or they may be used to convey information about you so the specialist knows why you are coming. 

Service Providers

Acupuncture

Linda Wu: TIN 272210284
John Ellis: TIN 272210284
193 Jefferson Drive, Menlo Park, CA, 94025; 949.891.0328; 652.521.5440

Krysta Wyatt: TIN 261187976
Artashes Mirzatuny: TIN 261187976
Michiko Marx: TIN 261187976
1336 El Camino Real, San Carlos, CA, 94070; 650.596.5616

Chiropractic

Ian Chase - Integrated Health Care: TIN 451464503
Eric Glenn - Integrated Health Care: TIN 451464503
Gill Keiko – Integrated Health Care: TIN 451464503
480 S. California Ave., #103, Palo Alto, CA, 94306; 650.321.7193

James Loucks: TIN 559475474
Jennifer Loucks: TIN 557670500
Daniel Soto: TIN 617423959
1139 Bush Street, Suite C, San Carlos, CA, 94070; 650.593.1103

Durable Medical Equipment

• Apria Healthcare: TIN 330057155 
• Advanced Diabetes Supply: TIN: 223865781 
• Byram Healthcare Centers: TIN 222862167 
• Edgepark Medical Supplies: TIN 341650951
• Sleepquest: TIN 943231410 

Laboratory

Quest Diagnostics: TIN 710897031 

Physical Therapy

Richard P Carr Physical Therapy: TIN 942623277
MORE Physical Therapy, Inc. (Vaden site only):  TIN 770184181

Surgery Center

Waverly Surgery Center: TIN 020554398