Bulletin 240501 — Updates: 2024–25 Community Access Pilot for Laboratory Services
The pilot list of no-cost laboratory services available to patients at community laboratories will continue in 2024-25
To: Ordering Clinicians (Medical Practitioners, Registered Nurses in the Extended Class, as applicable pursuant to Ontario Regulation 45/22 under the Laboratory and Specimen Collection Centre Licensing Act)
Category: Physician Services, Primary Health Care Services, Registered Nurse in the Extended Class
Written by: Laboratories and Diagnostics Branch, Health Programs and Delivery Division
Date issued: May 6, 2024
Bulletin Number: 240501
Overview
The Community Access Pilot for Laboratory Services will be extended through March 31, 2025 with no changes to the current ordering practices for ordering clinicians or the tests funded under the Pilot.
Any ordering clinician in Ontario, as defined for specimen collection and laboratory testing in Ontario Regulation 45/22 under the Laboratory and Specimen Collection Centre Licensing Act, can request services included in the Pilot by using the existing ordering practices that are currently in-place.
Services included in the Community Access Pilot are:
- Category 1 Services: Patients can have their specimens collected at a community laboratory for any genetic tests performed in a laboratory listed in Table 1 below.
- Category 2 Services: Patients can have the tests listed in Table 2 (please see below) performed by a community laboratory.
Participation in the Community Access Pilot for Laboratory Services is voluntary. The ministry encourages providing this testing option where appropriate to help connect people with care faster and closer to home.
Any specimen collections requiring specialized or complex ordering and/or handling requirements should continue to be collected in the appropriate setting such as a hospital.
Additional details about participating in the Community Access Pilot for Laboratory Services can be found below.
Category 1 Services
There is no change for clinicians or patients.
Clinicians can continue their current ordering practice when completing a requisition form for genetic testing.
Patients needing any genetic testing that will be performed by a laboratory listed in Table 1 will continue to have the option of taking their requisition form to a community laboratory (or the Specimen Collection Centre it owns or operates).
Please note, patients should be referred to have their specimens collected at a community laboratory only if it is a routine collection with no special collection methodologies.
Table 1: Molecular Genetics and Cytogenetics Laboratories
| # | Hospital/Program Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | LONDON HEALTH SCIENCES CENTRE |
| 2 | HAMILTON HEALTH SCIENCES CORP |
| 3 | TRILLIUM HEALTH PARTNERS |
| 4 | UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK |
| 5 | THE HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN |
| 6 | SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM |
| 7 | SUNNYBROOK HEALTH SCIENCES CENTRE |
| 8 | UNITY HEALTH TORONTO |
| 9 | NORTH YORK GENERAL HOSPITAL |
| 10 | LAKERIDGE HEALTH |
| 11 | KINGSTON HEALTH SCIENCES CENTRE |
| 12 | THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL |
| 13 | CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF EASTERN ONTARIO |
| 14 | HEALTH SCIENCES NORTH |
| 15 | NEWBORN SCREENING ONTARIO (NSO) MOLECULAR LABORATORY |
| 16 | THE NATIONAL INHERITED BLEEDING DISORDER GENOTYPING |
| 17 | WILLIAM OSLER HEALTH SYSTEM-BRAMPTON CIVIC HOSPITAL |
| 18 | LAKERIDGE HEALTH OSHAWA |
| 19 | ST. JOSEPH’S HEALTHCARE |
Category 2 Services
There is no change for clinicians or patients.
Clinicians can continue their current practices when completing the requisition for tests listed in Table 2.
Patients will be able to continue to have these tests performed by a community laboratory at no-cost.
The ordering clinician should only refer patients to have their specimens collected at a community laboratory according to the criteria in Table 2.
Table 2: List of Services
| Name of Test | Collection and/or Testing | Clinical Indications for Ordering |
|---|---|---|
| Trichomonas – Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) | Testing Only | Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test (NAAT) only-no changes to existing clinical guidance. |
| Gonorrhea (NAAT) | Testing Only | PCR test (NAAT) only-no changes to existing clinical guidance. |
| Chlamydia (NAAT) | Testing Only | PCR test (NAAT) only-no changes to existing clinical guidance. |
| C. difficile-EIA stool antigen and Toxin A/B | Testing Only | Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) as initial screen. If EIA results for antigen and toxin A/B are concordant, confirmatory NAAT is not needed. |
| C. difficile-Confirmatory (NAAT) | Testing Only | NAAT for confirmatory testing only. |
| Apolipoprotein B | Collections and Testing | As per the 2021 Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) Guidelines |
| Lipoprotein a [Lp(a)] | Collections and Testing | As per the 2021 CCS Guidelines |
| Celiac tissue Transglutaminase Immunoglobulin A (tTG-IgA) | Collections and Testing | For the purposes of the Pilot, should be ordered for the diagnosis of celiac disease only with the following criteria:
If client is IgA deficient (see "serum IgA" test below), additional testing required will not be funded through this Pilot. |
| Celiac serum IgA | Collections and Testing | Used alongside Celiac tTG-IgA to determine whether a client is IgA deficient. |
| N-Terminal-pro hormone B-type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) | Collections and Testing | Clinically indicated only in clients with suspected heart failure. |
| Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies (ANCA): PR3 and MPO | Collections and Testing |
|
| Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibodies (ACPA) | Collections and Testing |
|
Additional Information
For further information about the Community Access Pilot for Laboratory Services, please email CommunityLabs@ontario.ca or call
Keywords/Tags
Community Access Pilot; Community Laboratories; Laboratory Services; Patient Access
Contact information
Do you have questions about this INFOBulletin? Email the Service Support Contact Centre or call