Which statement best describes a STAT referral?

• A. Regular referrals take 1 to 2 working days.
• B. Urgent referrals take 3 to 10 working days.
• C. STAT referrals are for routine scheduling and require a form.
• D. STAT referrals are for emergencies and can be approved online.

Answer: (D)

STAT referrals are immediate, time-sensitive requests that push a patient’s needs to the front of the queue so care can be arranged without delay. The best description is that STAT referrals are for emergencies and can be approved online because this captures both the urgency and the practical way many systems speed up processing through electronic approval channels.

Regular referrals are routine and typically take 1–2 working days, which isn’t fast enough for STAT. Urgent referrals that take 3–10 days still don’t reflect the immediacy implied by STAT. And STAT isn’t about routine scheduling or necessarily requiring a form—the emphasis is on rapid access to care, often facilitated by online approvals in many workflows.