In order to get approval to see a specialist outside of their medical group, a person living in the USA should contact their primary care physician or insurance provider. The primary care physician or insurance provider can provide information about the process for obtaining a referral to a specialist outside of the medical group. Depending on the insurance plan, the patient may need to obtain pre-authorization from the insurance provider before seeing the specialist. The patient should also check with the specialist’s office to make sure they accept the insurance plan.