The LSA and its regulations contain provisions and requirements for referring practitioners. In order for a MSP-enrolled patient to receive laboratory services as a paid benefit, operators of the approved laboratory facilities must receive the request from authorized health care practitioners enrolled under the Medicare Protection Act (MPA). Referring medical practitioners with approved benefit schedules include midwives, nurse practitioners, dentists, podiatrists, and certified registered nurses. These health care practitioners may only request laboratory tests that are defined in their respective scopes of practice.
Nurse Practitioner and Dentists may also order laboratory tests or procedures approved within their respective scope of practice, although they do not have a specific Referral Schedule.
Effective October 1, 2018, BC’s Agency for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is responsible for processing requests for changes to the referral schedules.
Please direct inquiries to
pracbenefitscheds@phsa.ca.
A summary of the Ministerial Orders related to referring practitioner schedules
Save and complete the intake form. Attach a separate document if additional rationale is required.
Laboratory Services Referral Schedule Change Request Form
(Please note: If the form does not open, download the file.
Right click here, select “Save link as” or “Save Target As”, click Save.)
Referring practitioners can submit change requests to
pracbenefitscheds@phsa.ca.
Please do not submit patient information or personal identifiable information via email.
Changes to the Laboratory Services Referral Schedules may be initiated at the request of the Referring Practitioner College to support the delivery of clinical care within the College’s defined scope of practice, by laboratory service providers, or the Agency to support approved reflex testing or changes in methodology that may impact reimbursement. Requests may be submitted at any time.
The Agency’s Program Coordinator triages requests for changes and facilitates a review by the relevant Discipline Medical and Strategic Leads, with external consultation as needed.
The Agency will make its recommendations to the Ministry of Health and notify the requestor of the decision and effective date.
