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Hospital admission without a referral: how it works

There are three ways into a Russian hospital: emergency through an ambulance, self-referral to the admissions department, and planned admission with a referral from a clinic. A referral is required only for the third route. In an emergency the ambulance doctor decides, and the dispatch centre decides where.

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What to do right now

Emergency: call an ambulance
The doctor examines the patient and, if there are indications, contacts the admissions coordination centre, which issues an order to a duty hospital by specialty. No clinic referral is needed.
Self-referral to admissions
You may come to the admissions department of any hospital with a passport and insurance policy. The duty doctor examines you and decides: admit, redirect or send home with advice.
Planned: referral form 057/u
Issued by your clinic doctor, valid 30 days; in Moscow the appointment is then booked through the EMIAS system.
Prepare documents
Passport, compulsory insurance policy, SNILS, referral or dispatch order, discharge summaries, test results, list of medication. For a child — birth certificate and the parent’s passport.
Ask where you are being taken
In an emergency the hospital is not a matter of choice — it is the duty hospital for that specialty. A specific hospital is possible privately or for planned admission.

Call an ambulance if

Acute conditions: chest pain, stroke, injury, bleeding, high fever with confusion, acute abdomen
A chronic disease flare that cannot be managed at home
A bedridden patient who cannot be brought to admissions
Refusal of admission followed by deterioration — a second assessment is needed

What not to do

Do not wait for a planned referral if the pain is acute
Do not refuse an offered admission "until Monday" if the doctor insists
Do not ask a state ambulance to take you to a particular hospital — it cannot choose under insurance rules
Do not leave the insurance policy at home

What the crew does

Examination and assessment of admission criteria
Contact with the coordination centre and a dispatch order to a duty hospital
Stretcher transport with medical escort, handover with documents
Private admission to a hospital or clinic of your choice by arrangement

This page is for information and does not replace a medical examination. If the condition worsens, call the crew: +7 (985) 887-82-52.

This page in Russian: Russian version.

Questions

The ambulance refused to admit me — what now?

Ask for the refusal and the advice given to be recorded in the call record. If you get worse, call again or go to an admissions department yourself. A private crew will examine you and obtain an order if there are indications.

Can foreigners be admitted?

Emergency care is provided to everyone. Planned treatment without a Russian policy is paid, either in a state hospital or in a private clinic.

How much does transport by a private crew cost in Moscow?

Call-out 6,000 ₽ and transport 6,000 ₽ per each started 30 minutes inside the MKAD; medical evacuation by dispatch order starts at 15,000 ₽. Hospital treatment under insurance remains free.