Pharmacist lab test referrals
Last updated on July 2, 2024Effective August 30, 2024, pharmacists will be recognized as referring practitioners in the Laboratory Services Regulation under the Laboratory Services Act, allowing them to order certain laboratory tests for medication management. The change will equip pharmacists with more clinical tools to provide medication management services.
The pharmacist laboratory services referring schedule is viewable in Ministerial Order (M198-2024).
The plan for enabling and onboarding pharmacists will be communicated soon. Implementation will start in some hospital inpatient settings on August 30, with expansion to community settings in the following months.
The College of Pharmacists of BC (CPBC) is creating standards, limits and conditions for ordering, receiving and interpreting laboratory tests. They will communicate these to registrants, and this page will link to them as well.
No specific fees will be available to pharmacists for ordering laboratory tests. The new authority is intended to enhance pharmacists’ ability to perform comprehensive patient assessments for drug therapy management. Pharmacists may continue to submit claims for clinical services fees or medication reviews in accordance with the PharmaCare Policy Manual.
Training
Training information, procedures and other information relevant to pharmacist ordering of laboratory tests will be added to this page as it becomes available. Watch this page and subscribe to the PharmaCare Newsletter.
Pharmacists will be required to complete a free hour-long training module before they can acquire a Practitioner ID, which will be needed to order laboratory tests. The mandatory training will be offered through UBC Continuing Pharmacy Professional Development (CPPD), along with optional accredited clinical education on interpreting laboratory results.
Under the new authorization, pharmacists will use their professional discretion to determine if a lab test referral is necessary to manage medications. They are not expected to order lab tests for minor ailments and contraception (i.e. MACS) as those conditions can be readily diagnosed without the need for laboratory or imaging tests.
More information
For any questions about pharmacist lab ordering, please email PCI@gov.bc.ca