Refer patients into a coordinated cranial-prosthesis pathway
You diagnose and treat the condition. Wig Medical handles everything downstream of the prescription: intake, benefits, documentation, specialist matching, fitting, delivery, and follow-up.
- One referral instead of a list of shops you cannot vouch for
- Your patient is contacted directly, usually within one business day
- Insurance and documentation are handled on our side
- Certified specialists nationwide, with in-person and virtual options
What a Wig Medical referral does for your practice
Hair loss is one of the most distressing side effects your patients report, and it is usually the part of care nobody owns. This is the part we own.
You stop fielding wig questions
Insurance coverage, cost, where to go, what the prescription should say. Those questions come to Wig Medical instead of to your staff.
We tell the patient what to ask you for
So when the request reaches you it is specific and correct: a cranial prosthesis prescription with the diagnosis code, not a vague ask for a wig letter.
You are referring to trained specialists
Wig Medical trains and certifies Cranial Prosthesis Specialists, so a referral goes to someone whose training we know rather than whoever came up in a search.
The case does not disappear
Wig Medical stays with it through fitting, delivery, billing coordination, and replacement rather than handing the patient off.
Who sends patients to Wig Medical
| Referral source | Typical situation |
|---|---|
| Oncology practices | Patients facing chemotherapy or radiation-related hair loss, ideally referred before treatment starts so a prosthesis can be matched to their natural hair. |
| Cancer centers and hospitals | A standing referral pathway with a single point of contact, rather than staff maintaining an informal list of local shops. |
| Dermatology practices | Alopecia areata, totalis, universalis, scarring alopecias, and other chronic hair-loss conditions where regrowth is unlikely. |
| Primary care | Patients whose hair loss is documented but who have no idea where to begin or whether insurance applies. |
| Nurse and patient navigators | A concrete answer to a question you get constantly, with the follow-through handled elsewhere. |
| Social workers | Patients who need the financial and coverage side worked out, including honest guidance when no coverage exists. |
| Trichologists and hair-loss professionals | Clients who need a prosthetic solution alongside whatever else you are doing for them. |
What to put on the prescription
Five details that decide whether your patient's claim is processed as a medical device or rejected as cosmetic.
- Use the words cranial prosthesisNot wig, not hairpiece. Insurers classify wigs as cosmetic and cranial prostheses as medical devices. The wording alone changes the outcome.
- Include the diagnosis codeThe ICD code for the condition causing the hair loss, for example L63.0, L63.1, or L63.9 for forms of alopecia, or the relevant oncology diagnosis.
- Include your NPI and signatureBoth are routinely required and their absence is a common reason claims are returned.
- Add a letter of medical necessityName the condition, describe the extent of hair loss, and state why a cranial prosthesis is medically necessary rather than cosmetic. This is often the deciding document.
- Refer early where you canReferring before treatment-related hair loss begins lets the specialist match the patient's own colour, texture, and density directly.
General guidance only
Documentation requirements vary by payer and plan. This is general guidance to reduce avoidable denials, not clinical, coding, or billing advice. Confirm requirements with the patient's plan.
Refer a patient
Send us enough to make contact. Wig Medical reaches out to the patient directly and takes the case from there.
- We contact the patient, usually within one business day
- We review benefits and explain documentation to them
- We match them to a specialist and book the consultation
- We coordinate fitting, delivery, and billing
Please don't send medical records here
This first step only opens your case and tells us who to connect you with. Do not include insurance card images, member ID numbers, prescriptions, or medical records in this form. If documents are needed, Wig Medical will send you a secure way to share them.
Questions from referring providers
Is there any cost to the practice?
No. Referring costs nothing and Wig Medical does not bill your practice. Intake, benefit review, and specialist matching are free to the patient as well.
Can we set up a standing referral pathway?
Yes. Cancer centers, hospitals, and larger practices can work with Wig Medical on a standardised pathway with a single point of contact, agreed intake process, and defined expectations about what can be reported back. Ask about it in the referral note or contact us directly.
What can you tell us about the patient afterward?
Only what the patient authorises. Tell us at referral whether you want status updates and we will set clear expectations with the patient and with you about what can be shared.
Do you accept the patient's insurance?
Coverage depends on the patient's specific plan, their state, their diagnosis, the documentation, and supplier status. Wig Medical reviews benefits with every patient and tells them honestly what their plan appears to allow, including when the answer is that it will not cover it.
What if the patient has no coverage?
They still get help. Wig Medical explains the self-pay path, HSA and FSA eligibility, and nonprofit assistance options rather than dropping the case.
Give your patients somewhere to go
Refer once and Wig Medical handles the rest, from first contact through delivery and follow-up.