Physicians' Newsletter Volume 13, Issue 4
Tuesday, 13 September 2011 00:00
In this issue
- Standing Orders - Renewal of Expired Orders
- Ethyl Glucuronide (ETG) - Now Available at BC Biomedical Labs
- Download PDF of issue
Standing Orders - Renewal of Expired Orders
All Standing Orders must expire as outlined in a Medical Services Plan amendment regarding Standing Orders for Diagnostic Testing (MSC CMQ96-012 issued June 1, 2003) which states:
- Standing Orders automatically expire after 12 months unless stated otherwise by the referring physician.
- Standing Orders have a two-year limit – there are no ‘life’ or ‘permanent’ exceptions.
In addition, the Medical Services Plan requires a new, signed and dated requisition from the ordering physician to renew an expired Standing Order.
In order to be compliant with these regulations, BC Biomedical Laboratories will be making some changes to the renewal process for expired Standing Orders as follows:
- All Standing Orders must include an expiry date (to a maximum of 24 months) on the laboratory requisition; if an expiry date is not provided, the Standing Order will automatically expire after 12 months.
- BC Biomedical will provide each physician with a “Standing Order Expiry Report”, indicating patient standing orders that are due to expire within the next month. This notification will assist physicians in identifying patients who may require a new requisition. Please see an example of this report below.
- If you wish the patient’s Standing Order to continue, you will need to provide the patient or BC Biomedical (Client Information Centre Fax 604-507-5299) with a new, signed and dated requisition containing the new test orders. Please ensure the faxed requisition contains the patient’s first and last name, date of birth and PHN.
Impact on Patients
- When an initial Standing Order is set up in our Laboratory Information System, we will give patients an education sheet that explains what a Standing Order is; when the Order will expire; and the Standing Order schedule indicated by the ordering physician.
- Prior to the expiry date, we will remind patients when they are attending a Patient Service Centre, that their Standing Order is due to expire. This will allow patients to follow up with the ordering physician and obtain a new requisition, as appropriate.
We acknowledge this change will require an adjustment for many physicians’ offices. We appreciate your cooperation in our efforts to be compliant with Medical Service Plan regulations and to ensure appropriate laboratory test utilization and health care expenditures.
If you have any questions, please contact Client Services at 604-507-5040.
Sample Standing Order Expiry Report
Ethyl Glucuronide (ETG) – Now Available at BC Biomedical Labs
BC Biomedical Laboratories is now providing urine Ethyl Glucuronide (ETG) testing. Ethyl Glucuronide is a direct ethanol metabolite that can be used to detect recent alcohol use. This test is performed on a urine specimen and has a longer detection time than the urine alcohol test. Urine specimens for ETG testing are collected under controlled conditions, but do not require chain of custody documentation.ETG test results are not suitable for legal purposes.
ETG is currently not billable to MSP. The cost of each test is $20, payable by the patient at the time of collection.
If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact any member of the Business Accounts team at 604-507-5170, -5089
or -5091.
