Spokane creator of Refer.to, a Web application that enables dentists to send referral information digitally to colleagues and patients, has begun expanding the number of dental offices within its network. 

Orthodontist Josh Johnson came up with the idea for Refer.to two years ago to simplify the referral process between dental offices. He created Refer.to LLC to be able to make the Web-based app commercially available. 

Johnson created the app with help from Spokane-based North by Northwest Productions Inc., a digital studio that produces video content for film, television, and the Web. 

The application reduces the need for triplicate paper copies of referrals, which Johnson says patients sometimes misplace or find difficult to read. 

“The goal was to simplify the referral process for both dentists and patients,” he says. 

He says the application enables his office to complete a referral form online and click the photo or photos of other professionals to refer the patient to. Information is then sent to that professional, as well as automatically emailed to the patient, who can call and set up an appointment directly.

“Almost every patient we’ve used the application with feels it’s very handy,” Johnson says. “The number of patients who follow through with calling and setting up a referral appointment right away has also increased.”

The application is offered at no cost to patients, and dental practices wishing to sign up for the application can start with a free one-month trial. From there, the cost is either $3 per month for a “lite” version that has the ability to send referrals or $30 a month for the full version offering both sending and receiving referrals. 

Johnson says the application’s focus currently is on the dental market, but now that the application has been tested and gained positive feedback, he has begun to share it with larger audiences.

 “We have 10 percent of the Spokane dental market using the application already, and just recently launched it in Seattle at the Pacific Northwest Dental Conference,” he says. “We had a nice response at the conference, and now have some users in that market as well. Our goal is to continue expanding regionally, and eventually nationally.”

Johnson currently operates a solo practice in North Spokane, at 510 E. Hastings Road. Johnson Orthodontics has a total of eight employees and operates in 2,700 square feet of office space. The practice shares the 6,000-square-foot building on Hastings Road with Wandermere Family Dentistry, which occupies the remaining space there. 

Refer.to LLC also has three employees who make up its sales and customer relations team.