NOUN (3)

1. a person whose case has been referred to a specialist or professional group;
- Example: "the patient is a referral from Dr. Bones"

2. a recommendation to consult the (professional) person or group to whom one has been referred;
- Example: "the insurance company says that you need a written referral from your physician before seeing a specialist"

3. the act of referring (as forwarding an applicant for employment or referring a matter to an appropriate agency);

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

referral
    n 1: a person whose case has been referred to a specialist or
         professional group; "the patient is a referral from Dr.
         Bones"
    2: a recommendation to consult the (professional) person or
       group to whom one has been referred; "the insurance company
       says that you need a written referral from your physician
       before seeing a specialist"
    3: the act of referring (as forwarding an applicant for
       employment or referring a matter to an appropriate agency)