> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.elationhealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Letter & Referral Guide - Managing & searching the provider directory
> This article describes Elation Provider Directory and reviews the actions you can take to manage and search the database for providers or organizations to collaborate with.
## Overview
### What is the Elation Provider Directory/Care Team?
The Provider Directory (also known as Care Team for customers using the [Collaborative Health Record](/articles/the-collaborative-view-hi-only) feature) is a centralized database of Providers and Organizations used for sending [a Provider Letter or Referral](/articles/letter-and-referral-introduction).
The Provider Directory is composed of **Elation Contacts** and **Custom Contacts**. Details about each contact type are provided below.
### What are the benefits of the Provider Directory/Care Team?
The Provider Directory/Care Team database is equivalent to a Contacts List or Address Book. The database offers access to contact information for thousands of Providers and Organizations, allowing you to seamlessly use their details when sharing patient information via any method supported by the [Letter & Referral features](/articles/letter-and-referral-introduction).
### What are the differences between an Elation Contact and a Custom Contact?
The following table outlines the differences between **Elation Contacts** and **Custom Contacts**.
| | **Elation Contact** | **Custom Contact** |
| -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Indicator** | Indicated by a blue Elation E\* label next to their name. 
| Indicated by a blue ‘Custom Contact’ label in their contact details and **P**\* Passport logo next to their name. 
and 
|
| **Source** | Providers using Elation EHR. • Providers or Organizations with [Elation Connect](/articles/secure-Provider-Portal) accounts. • Providers or Organizations in the National Provider Identifier Registry Public Search (NPPES NPI Registry). | Created by your practice. |
| **Access & visibility** | Available to all Elation users. • Can be found in both the Provider Directory and while drafting a Letter or Referral | Available only to your practice. • Can only be found when drafting a Provider Letter or Referral |
| **Maintenance** | Maintained by Elation. | Maintained by your practice. |
| **Editable Contact information** | **Speciality** • **Direct message address** • **Address** • **Ste or apt #** • **City** • **State** • **Zip** • **Phone** • **Fax** • **Cell Phone** • **Preferred fax** • **Email** • **Notes** | **Contact type** (Individual Provider or Organization) • **First Name**(For Individual Providers Only) • **Last Name**(For Individual Providers Only) • **Middle Name**(For Individual Providers Only) • **Credentials** (For Individual Providers Only) • **Organization Name** (For Organizations Only) • **Speciality** • **Direct message address** • **Address** • **Ste or apt #** • **City** • **State** • **Zip** • **Phone** • **Fax** • **Cell Phone** • **Preferred fax** • **Email** • **Notes** |
**Contact Details vs. Delivery Method**
How will a contact with multiple contact methods receive information?
* If the Contact has an Elation logo in their profile then they will only receive information in their Elation account, regardless if other contact information is available.
* For all other contacts, the chart below shows how information will be delivered, based on the information in their contact details.
| **Contact has...** | **Fax** | **Direct Message** | **Provider Portal** |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Fax number **only** | X | | X (Fax notification) |
| Email **only** | | | X (Email notification) |
| Direct message address **only** | | X | |
| Fax number **AND** email | X | | X (Fax & email notification) |
| Fax number **AND** Direct message address | X | X (\*If recipient has an **active** Provider Portal account then the message will only be delivered via Provider Portal.) | X (Fax notification) |
| Email **AND** Direct message address | | X (\*If recipient has an **active** Provider Portal account then the message will only be delivered via Provider Portal.) | X (Email notification) |
| Fax number, email **AND** Direct message address | X | X (\*If recipient has an **active** Provider Portal account then the message will only be delivered via Provider Portal.) | X (Fax & email notification) |
| **(NO CONTACT)** Fax number **only** | X | | |
## Workflow Instructions
### Searching for Contacts
#### Searching while drafting a Provider Letter or Referral
This method shows results for **Elation Contacts** and **Custom Contacts**:
| **1** | [Create a new Provider Letter or Referral](/articles/letter-and-referral-introduction#initiation) . |
| ----- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **2** | Type the recipient’s name in the **To** field. |
| **3** | Select a match from the search results. |
#### Searching in the Provider Directory window
This method shows only results for **Elation Contacts**:
| **1** | Click **Directory** from the top of the patient’s chart (or the **Care Team** button if you’re using the [Collaborative Health Record](/articles/the-collaborative-view-hi-only) feature). |
| ----- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **2** | Click into the **Provider Search** section on the right. |
| **3** | Use any of the following fields to search for the Provider/Organization: **Type a Specialty or Provider Name…** - Their name or speciality. • **City** - The City they are practicing in. • **State** - The State they are practicing in. |
| **4** | When you find the contact, click **Letter** or **Referral** under their name to start drafting a message. |
If you cannot find the **Contact** in the current City\*\* or\*\* State they are practicing in, try entering the City or State they have previously practiced in.
If you are still unable to find the Provider/Organization in the Provider Directory, then [create a Custom Contact](#create_custom_contact) for them.
### Managing Elation Contacts
**Exception:** You cannot create or delete Elation Contacts—but you can make edits that are visible to your practice only.
#### Updating an Elation Contact
| **1** | Locate the **Contact** using one of the methods [outlined above](#search_contact) . |
| ----- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **2** | Open their contact details using one of the following methods: If you are in a Letter or Referral, click **Edit Contact** next to the contact’s name. • If you are in the Provider Directory window, click on the contact’s name. |
| **3** | Click **Edit** **Contact** to edit the contact's information. [Refer to the table above to see what information is editable](#differences). |
| **4** | Complete your updates and click **Update Directory** . |
Deleted contact information cannot be restored.
Changes you make only apply to your practice.
### Managing Custom Contacts
#### Creating a Custom Contact
| **1** | [Create a new Provider Letter or Referral](/articles/letter-and-referral-introduction#initiation) . |
| ----- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **2** | Type the contact’s name in the **To** field and then click into any other field (e.g. **Subject** ). |
| **3** | Click **Add Details** next to the contact’s name. |
| **4** | Add profile or contact information to their contact details. Enter at least a **Direct message address**, **Fax**, or **Email** to save the contact. |
| **5** | Click **Create Contact**. |
#### Updating a Custom Contact
| **1** | [Create a new Provider Letter or Referral](/articles/letter-and-referral-introduction#initiation) . |
| ----- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **2** | Type the recipient’s name in the **To** field. |
| **3** | Select a match from the search results. |
| **4** | Click **Edit Contact** next to the contact’s name. |
| **5** | Click the **Edit** **Contact** to edit the contact's information. [Refer to the table above to see what information is editable](#differences). |
| **6** | Complete your updates and click **Update Directory** . |
#### Deleting a Custom Contact
| **1** | [Create a new Provider Letter or Referral](/articles/letter-and-referral-introduction#initiation) . |
| ----- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **2** | Type the recipient’s name in the **To** field. |
| **3** | Select a match from the search results. |
| **4** | Click **Edit Contact** next to the contact’s name. |
| **5** | Click the **Edit** **Contact** to edit the contact's information. |
| **6** | Click **Delete Custom Contact** . |
| **7** | Click **Delete** to confirm deletion. |
Deleted contact information cannot be restored.
Changes you make only apply to your practice.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### Why is a provider’s information from the NPPES NPI Registry incorrect?
Elation imports contact information from the NPPES database periodically. If the registry has been updated since the import, existing contacts won’t reflect those changes automatically. You can [manually update the contact information for that Elation Contact](#update_Elation_contact) to reflect the most current information.
### Why are some provider names not clickable in the Elation Directory?
If a Provider’s/Organization's name appears in plain, black text (and not blue text that is clickable), it means they have never communicated with Elation users before. Click **Letter** or **Referral** under their name, and then click **Edit** to view or update their contact information.
### What happens when I can’t find the provider I am looking for?
If you have tried various search parameters and you are unable to find a specific Provider/Organization in the database, [create a Custom Contact](#create_custom_contact).
### Will changes made to Elation Contacts affect other practices?
No, changes made to Elation Contacts are only visible within your practice.
### Can I update the clinic name or NPI for a Contact?
No, the clinic name and NPI cannot be edited.
### Can I delete an Elation Contact?
No, **Elation Contacts** are managed by Elation and cannot be deleted. Only **Custom Contacts** can be deleted.
### Why can’t I save a Custom Contact?
Add a **Direct message address**, **Fax**, or **Email** to save a **Custom Contact**.
### Do contact updates apply across Workspaces?
Yes, contact updates show in all Workspaces within your Elation account.
### Can I see who edited a contact?
No, there are no audit logs for contact edits.
### If different users make changes to the same contact, will they create duplicates?
No, when multiple users edit a contact, only the last saved changes are kept. No duplicates are created.
### Can I add new specialties to the database?
No, specialties are managed by Elation and cannot be added manually.
## Related Articles
* [Letter & Referral Introduction](/articles/letter-and-referral-introduction)
* [Letter & Referral Guide - Sending correspondences to other Elation EHR Users](/articles/share-documents-between-other-elationemr-users)
* [Letter & Referral Guide - Sending and receiving Direct messages](/articles/how-to-use-direct-messaging)
* [Letter & Referral Guide - Sending a fax](/articles/letter-and-referral-introduction)
* [Letter & Referral Guide - Sending correspondences via a secure Provider Portal](/articles/secure-Provider-Portal)
* [Letter & Referral Guide - Accessing patient information sent by an Elation EHR user](/articles/access-patient-information-securely-shared-by-an-Elation-EHR-user)
* [Letter & Referral Guide - Fax Usage Settings](/articles/fax-usage)