TL;DR
Do not retire an oral surgery referral route just because the replacement looks better. Rehearse old links, saved forms, account access, submission feedback, receiving ownership and open-request continuity. A redirect can help a visitor reach a new page; it does not prove a referral packet transferred or an intake team accepted the next action.
Inventory the routes referring offices actually use
Ask intake which approved routes exist today. Include public links, bookmarked portal pages, downloaded referral forms, printed instructions and any agreed fallback. Identify whether a route submits a new request, checks an existing request or merely explains the process.
Do not infer use from the site's current navigation alone. A referring office may rely on an older saved link that no longer appears in the menu. Use available approved system evidence and staff process knowledge, while labeling unknown use plainly.
The transition inventory should describe routes and responsibilities, not contain patient packets, clinical attachments or shared passwords. Keep a practice-controlled owner for the relevant domain, portal configuration and receiving process.
Make a transition rehearsal sheet
| Existing dependency | Replacement behavior to prove | Completion evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Old public referral URL | Correct new instruction or appropriately configured route | Observed destination and meaningful page label |
| Saved document or printed instruction | Current approved submission method remains understandable | Replacement material and tracked unresolved copies |
| Referring-office account | Actual approved access or usable alternative | Synthetic access test through the permitted process |
| Required form choices | Correct service/location choices reach intake | Field meaning and receiving-state verification |
| Submission acknowledgement | Accurate success or failure state | Displayed result matched to actual receipt |
| Open request | Authorized owner can continue the existing work | Reconciled state and accepted next action |
| Rollback or incident route | Team knows what to do if cutover fails | Named owner, trigger and tested administrative fallback |
Add: old route ___; new route ___; system owner ___; test result ___; unresolved item ___; release decision ___. A screenshot of the new homepage cannot satisfy this worksheet.
Use the website access handoff guide for system roles. This rehearsal focuses on the continuity of a referring office's actual submission and the specialist's receipt across cutover.
Test redirects separately from submissions
Google Search guidance distinguishes permanent and temporary redirects according to whether a move is intended to persist. It recommends a permanent server-side redirect when changing the page URL shown in search results. That is page-move guidance, not a promise that an authenticated portal, form submission or attachments will survive a redirect. Google's redirect guidance.
Have the implementer assess the actual route types. Do not redirect a saved submission endpoint to a generic homepage and assume the referral was delivered. An old informational page, an authenticated workflow and a submitted form need their own tests.
Coordinate clearly labeled synthetic tests with the portal and receiving teams. Use practice-controlled test details and prevent real scheduling, outreach and clinical work. Do not test with real images or a real person's referral packet. Verify what arrives, including only the field categories the practice has approved for the test.
If the visible outcome is uncertain, check the receiving state before retrying. An ambiguous result should remain an incident until reconciled; repeating the action without checking can create confusing duplicates.
Keep success feedback honest
W3C recommends clear success and error feedback after form submission. During a portal transition, examine that feedback alongside the operational receipt. The screen should not claim the specialist accepted a referral or confirmed an appointment when the system only received a request. W3C form notification guidance.
Ask a staff reviewer to explain what a referring office should do after an error. Is there a verified fallback, a clarification contact and a way to avoid sending the same material repeatedly? Do not replace a failed secure workflow with a general request to email sensitive records.
Use the booking-failure method to capture the starting URL, intended task, actual result and responsible system. Keep technical failure separate from an incomplete administrative handoff.
Preserve open work without a marketing-data migration
Before cutover, have authorized intake staff identify open requests in the approved system. Determine what continues in the old environment, what transfers and who owns each continuing state. A successful new submission does not establish that earlier referrals remain accessible.
Retain status meanings and contact restrictions through any approved transfer. Have the practice's responsible owners assess actual retention, access and permitted use. The redesign is not permission to give an agency a copy of referral records or reuse them for campaigns.
Keep summaries for the project limited to approved categories: open work reconciled, unresolved access, missing state mapping or accepted continuation. The implementer needs evidence that the agreed behavior works, not a patient narrative in the release ticket.
Decide when the old route can retire
Write the retirement conditions before launch. Name the routes tested, unresolved saved materials, open-request owner, verified fallback and rollback decision. Keep the old route available or appropriately explained under the approved plan until the responsible team accepts the transition.
Prepare the referrer-update content for the practice's authorized communication process. State the new action, any account change and the clarification contact. Sending the notice does not prove every office changed its bookmark, so preserve a sensible tested path for old visitors where the actual system permits it.
The final acceptance record should say what was observed and what remains outside control. A usable transition can be accepted without claiming it guarantees referrals or eliminates every future failed submission.
Frequently asked questions
Is a homepage redirect enough for an old referral link?
Judge the task. A visitor needs to reach the correct current instructions, while authenticated and submission routes require separate implementation checks. A generic destination can hide the intended next action.
Can we turn off the old portal as soon as the new form works?
Check open requests, access continuity, saved routes and the approved retirement conditions. New form success is only part of transition evidence.
Should the agency export every referral to prove continuity?
No blanket export is required by this worksheet. Authorized practice staff should assess the actual transfer and provide approved completion evidence suited to the project's purpose.