Introduction. A significant proportion of patient flow in polyclinics consists of visits not related to the provision of medical care, primarily for issuing various referrals. These administrative visits create an excessive workload for primary care physicians, reducing access for patients in need. The aim of the study was to analyze the causes and structure of patient visits to a city polyclinic solely for the purpose of obtaining referrals. Materials and methods. A group interview (focus group) was conducted with 44 doctors of the City Polyclinic No. 115, Moscow, to identify and rank the reasons for such visits. Based on qualitative data, a form for quantitative registration was developed, within which doctors recorded 934 visits for issuing referrals. Sociological and analytical methods were used. Results. The ranking revealed five main reasons for visits: upcoming planned hospitalization, follow-up in specialized centers, prescriptions from private healthcare organizations, self-referral to federal/ departmental institutions, and military medical commission examinations. Quantitative data confirmed this ranking: issuing referrals prior to hospitalization accounted for 41.4% of all registered visits, while those initiated by specialized centers accounted for 32.5%. Thus, more than 73% of administrative visits are generated by these two channels. Conclusion. The study confirms the existence of a stable and significant flow of purely administrative visits, creating a non-medical workload for the polyclinic. The obtained data on the sources and structure of these visits provide a basis for specific management decisions. As priority measures, the following are recommended: regulatory optimization of «pre-hospitalization preparation,» technological integration within the Unified Medical Information and Analytical System (EMIAS) to eliminate the «courier» visit, organizational changes with delegation of some functions to nursing staff, and removal of barriers for a full transition to electronic document flow between institutions.