Tests and Lab Requisitions#

1. Choose a test panel on teletest.ca and pay the consultation fee.
2. Complete your health-history intake in the patient portal.
3. Submit your intake. A clinician (physician or nurse practitioner) reviews it and responds by secure message - almost always within a few hours. You can also opt into a real-time chat if you'd like to talk through anything live.
4. Once approved, your lab requisition is faxed directly to the lab of your choice. You can also download a PDF copy from the portal at any time.

If anything in your intake needs correcting, you can edit and resubmit it before the requisition is issued.

Faxes arrive in the lab's central fax queue within minutes. How long it takes for the lab to enter the requisition into its system depends on the lab:

• LifeLabs: near-instant - requisitions are typically available in their system shortly after the fax is sent.
• Dynacare: typically 2-3 hours for the fax to be entered.
• Alpha Labs and other regional labs: similar to Dynacare in most cases.

If you'd like to walk in immediately: download a PDF copy of your requisition from the portal and either print it and bring it with you, or email it directly to the lab (ask the lab staff for their direct email address).

After your intake has been reviewed and approved, your requisition appears in the Inbox (or Messages) section of your patient portal as a secure message from the clinician. Open the message and you'll see options to:

• Download a PDF copy of the requisition (recommended - keep it on your phone or print it).
• Send to a specific lab via fax (if you didn't select one at the consultation, or want to change labs).

The requisition is also linked from your Orders or Billing section under the relevant consultation.

You'll see your order move through a few states. Here's what each one means:

Yes. Your lab requisition is valid for 6 months from the date it's issued. You can access it anytime through the patient portal during that window.

If you encounter an error trying to download the requisition, use our contact form and we'll make it available for you.

No - the requisition is for single use. Once you've completed the testing on it, you'll need a new consultation for additional testing. This can be through TeleTest or any other clinician (family doctor, walk-in clinic, sexual health clinic).

In most cases, no. Once your intake has been approved and the requisition issued, the consultation is considered complete. Common modification requests we cannot fulfill outside of a new consultation:

• Adding new tests. Additional testing can only be ordered during a clinician consultation - the clinician needs to assess whether each test is medically appropriate before ordering. Use our contact form if you have a question, but the answer for "add a test" is almost always "please submit a new consultation."
• Switching the requisition to a different panel. Each panel has its own intake and clinical review; switching panels requires a new consultation.

What we can update without a new consultation:

• Your name (typo, missing middle name, maiden/married name) - use our contact form with the correct spelling and we'll reissue the requisition.
• Your date of birth if it's wrong on the requisition - use our contact form with the correct date and we'll send a new requisition.
• The lab the requisition is sent to - see the next accordion.

Your existing requisition stays valid for 6 months, so if you can't get the testing done right away, you have time.

It depends on where you are in the flow:

• Before the clinician has reviewed your intake: use our contact form right away. We can issue store credit so you can select the correct panel without paying twice.
• After the clinician has reviewed your intake but before the requisition is issued: edit your intake to clarify the right panel, or message in your portal. The clinician may be able to redirect you.
• After the requisition has been issued: the consultation is considered complete. You'll need a new consultation with the correct panel. The original requisition stays valid for 6 months in case it ends up being useful later.

See Payment for details on the refund / store-credit policy.

Yes - and you don't need to tell us in advance. A few common scenarios:

• Same lab chain, different location. Just walk in. Requisitions faxed to LifeLabs, Dynacare, or Alpha Labs go to the chain's central system, so any of their locations can pull it up.
• Different lab chain. Download the PDF copy from your portal and bring it (printed) to the new lab, or email it directly to the lab if they accept emailed requisitions. No need to contact us.
• You'd prefer we re-fax to a specific lab. Use our contact form with the new lab's name and fax number and we'll resend.

You can still use the requisition at most diagnostic labs and hospital outpatient laboratories. The trade-off is that labs not connected to our system don't transmit results back to us electronically, so you may need to manually request that the lab fax the report to TeleTest after testing.

For faster, automatic result delivery, we recommend using one of the main lab chains:

• LifeLabs (Ontario and BC)
• Dynacare (Ontario)
• Alpha Labs (Ontario)
• BC hospital outpatient labs and BC LifeLabs sites (BC)

If you choose a lab outside our integrated network, ask them to fax results to TeleTest so we can upload them to your portal.

Visit the lab you selected at the time of your consultation. Bring:

• Government-issued photo ID (driver's licence, passport, or other photo ID).
• Your provincial health card, if you have one and want insured tests covered.
• A printed copy of the requisition (or your phone with the PDF saved) - useful if the lab can't find the fax.

The lab will collect the sample (blood, urine, or swab depending on the test) and process it. You don't need to do anything else.

Most TeleTest panels don't require any preparation, but some do. Check the intake message or your portal for any test-specific notes. General guidance:

• Fasting (10-12 hours, water only): required for Fasting Blood Glucose, Lipid Profile, and Apolipoprotein B. Recommended for Cystatin-C and any panel that includes those tests.
• Hormone tests (e.g., testosterone, prolactin): best collected in the morning (ideally before 11 AM), since many hormones follow a daily rhythm.
• Hydration: drink plenty of water in the hours leading up to your blood draw - well-hydrated veins are easier to access and the draw is faster and more comfortable.
• Exercise: avoid strenuous exercise for 24 hours before bloodwork - intense activity can transiently affect markers like creatinine, CK, and liver enzymes.
• Medications: take your usual medications as normal unless your intake or the clinician's secure message specifically says otherwise.

If you have any preparation question that isn't answered here or in your portal, use our contact form before going to the lab.

A typical lab visit is short - usually 10-20 minutes including check-in and wait time. Here's the flow:

1. Check in at the front desk with your ID and (if applicable) provincial health card.
2. The lab pulls up your requisition from their system (or accepts your printed copy).
3. A phlebotomist takes you to a collection room - this is the person trained to draw blood.
4. Sample collection takes 2-5 minutes for a standard blood draw, or a few seconds if you're providing a urine sample or swab.
5. You're done. No paperwork to take with you; the lab handles everything from there.

If you're needle-anxious, let the phlebotomist know - they can offer a smaller-gauge needle, lay you down for the draw, or take other steps to make it easier. Drinking water beforehand and avoiding looking at the needle also help.

No. Booking is done by you, directly with the lab. Each lab has its own booking system - check their website or call their customer service line.

Walk-ins: Many lab locations accept walk-ins for basic blood draws and all urine/swab collections. Urine and vaginal-swab testing never require an appointment - just drop off the sample at the lab during open hours.

Tests that always require an appointment: Semen analysis (fertility) is offered only at specific lab sites and requires a scheduled time. See Semen Analysis and Vasectomy for details.

Yes - either:

• Try a different location of the same chain. Most chains have many sites with different wait times; switching locations often opens up earlier slots.
• Switch chains. Use our contact form and we'll fax the requisition to a different lab.
• Walk in with a printed copy. Download the PDF from the portal, print it, and bring it to a walk-in lab location.

These come up often and can cause results to end up in the wrong place. A quick mention to the lab technician at check-in prevents both.

• Reflex CC by a lab technician. Our requisitions do not list a CC to your family doctor, and TeleTest does not know who your family doctor or family nurse practitioner is - we don't collect that information. The only CC we may add is internal to TeleTest (e.g., our Chief Medical Officer) as a backup to make sure your results reach our system. However, a lab technician will occasionally, out of habit, CC your family doctor at the time of collection. If you want results to come only to TeleTest, ask the technician to confirm no external CC was added.
• Don't bundle requisitions from different clinicians. If you bring a TeleTest requisition at the same time as a paper or electronic requisition from your family doctor or another clinic, the lab may merge the orders and send the results only to the other clinician (not to TeleTest). Present only the TeleTest requisition for that visit. If you need separate testing from another clinic, make a separate lab visit (different day is fine).

You don't need to change anything. The "insured" box is the default on the requisition form. Since your requisition does not include a health card number, it's not tied to any provincial coverage. If you don't present a health card at the lab, the tests will be billed to you directly as uninsured, and you can pay the lab out of pocket. The "insured" checkbox doesn't matter without a health card behind it.

Very rarely, transmission can fail. A couple of options:

• Download and print the requisition from your patient portal and bring it (or email it) directly to the lab. This is the fastest fix.
• Ask us to refax. Use our contact form and we'll resend. Faxes may take a couple of hours to appear in the lab's queue.

No - this is normal. Labs don't communicate with TeleTest's system at the time of your visit. Your portal status only updates when the first result is released by the lab. See the Results page for a detailed walk-through.

We don't currently offer à-la-carte test selection. All testing is bundled into specific medical panels curated by our clinical team, because each panel has its own clinical questionnaire that allows the clinician to assess whether the tests are appropriate for you.

If you want testing from multiple panels, you'll need to request and pay for each panel separately. Each panel's clinical review is independent.

You have three options:

1. Deselect tests in the intake. All panels have optional tests you can uncheck while filling out the intake. For example, on the STI Testing and Treatment panel you can uncheck the HIV and syphilis bloodwork and complete a urine STI screen only.
2. Ask the clinician during your consultation (via secure message or real-time chat) to leave specific tests off the requisition.
3. Decline a test at the lab. When you check in, you can tell the lab staff that you don't want a specific test - they can cross it off the order before collection.

For panels that include both testing and treatment, testing is recommended but not always required. The treatment portion can proceed if the clinician determines it's clinically appropriate. Bring up your preference in your intake or in a secure message, and the clinician will guide you.

For panels that are testing-only or require results before treatment (e.g., follow-up for a specific abnormal result), the testing step is necessary.

In most cases, no. Our clinicians order only the tests listed on each panel so that ordering stays consistent with the clinical review the panel was built around.

If you need a test outside our panels, visit your family doctor, a walk-in clinic, or a community-care clinic. They can order it under your provincial health plan if it's medically indicated.

The following tests are not currently available through TeleTest. For these, please see your family doctor or a walk-in clinic.

• Cortisol
• DHEAS (Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate)
• TRAB (Thyroid Receptor Antibodies)
• Lyme serology
• 17-OH Progesterone
• ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate)
• Rheumatoid Factor (RF)
• ANA (Anti-Nuclear Antibody)
• Food sensitivity / allergen panels (these are also generally not evidence-based and provincial plans don't cover them)
• CA 19-9 and most cancer markers (require specialist referral)
• CRP, hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein), and CK as standalone tests
• CT calcium score and cardiac stress test (referrals to cardiology are needed; see your family doctor)
• Colonoscopy (visit your family doctor or a walk-in clinic for a gastroenterology referral)

Insured testing is paid for by your provincial health plan when the test meets two criteria:

• There's a clear medical reason to order it (a clinical indication aligned with provincial guidance).
• The frequency is consistent with clinical guidelines.

Some tests are only insured in specific clinical situations (e.g., when there's a defined medical indication). Outside those situations, the same test is uninsured and you pay the lab directly. The intake gathers the clinical context the clinician needs to determine which category your test falls into.

Tests that are insured under one panel but uninsured under another are typically uninsured when the same test is ordered more frequently than provincial guidelines recommend (e.g., a lipid panel ordered every 6-8 weeks for personal monitoring is uninsured; the same test ordered annually for a patient with hypertension is insured).

TeleTest doesn't profit from uninsured tests. When a test is marked uninsured, the lab bills you directly - we pass through whatever the lab charges.

Yes. Each provincial health plan has its own frequency-of-coverage rules for routine monitoring of insured tests. The exact window depends on the test and the clinical reason:

• Tests for chronic-disease monitoring (e.g., HbA1c, Lipid Profile, Fasting Blood Glucose, CBC, Creatinine) generally have rolling windows measured in weeks to months, not "once a year." The window can be shorter when there's an active clinical reason (e.g., a recent abnormal result, a new diagnosis, a medication change).
• Once-per-lifetime tests like Lipoprotein(a) are insured only on the first test.
• Some tests are uninsured unless a specific clinical indication is met - in those cases, frequency doesn't matter; you pay the lab unless your clinical situation qualifies for coverage.

You don't need to memorize the windows. When you submit an intake, TeleTest's system checks your testing history (both prior TeleTest tests and external results you've added) and flags which tests will be insured and which will be uninsured for your specific situation, so you'll know what to expect before the requisition is issued.

If a test you'd like to repeat doesn't meet the insured window, your clinician can still order it - you'll just pay the lab directly for that test.

Generally, no. Lab tests required by an employer, school, or third party are usually not covered by your provincial health plan, because they're not ordered for diagnostic purposes. Examples include:

• Pre-employment health screens.
• Insurance medical exams.

You'd pay the lab directly for these tests. TeleTest charges only for the messaging consultation - we don't add a markup to the lab fees. Contact the lab directly for specific pricing.

For tests marked uninsured on your requisition, the lab bills you directly at the time of collection - TeleTest does not bill you for lab fees.

What to expect:

• Payment at the lab. Most labs accept debit, credit, and cash. You'll pay before or just after the sample is collected.
• Get a receipt. Always ask for an itemized receipt - you'll need it for Health Spending Account (HSA), private insurance reimbursement, or your own records.
• Pricing varies by lab. Lipid Profile at one lab may not cost the same at another. If cost matters, call a couple of nearby labs and ask their out-of-pocket price for the specific tests before your visit.
• Approximate costs for common uninsured tests in Ontario are listed in our Cost of Blood Tests guide.

TeleTest does not mark up lab fees. You pay the lab's regular price - we don't add anything on top.

Use our contact form with the test name and a brief description. The clinical team can re-review and, if appropriate, reissue the requisition with the correct coding. Provincial coverage rules are strict, so we can't always change the billing, but we'll look into it.

Yes. Major labs (LifeLabs, Dynacare, Alpha Labs, and BC outpatient labs) automatically calculate eGFR when Cystatin-C or Creatinine is ordered. You'll see both the raw value and the eGFR calculation on the report.

Fasting isn't strictly required - Cystatin-C is less affected by diet than other kidney markers. However, LifeLabs recommends a 10-12 hour fast (no food or drink other than water) to ensure consistent results, especially if you're being tested alongside other markers that do require fasting. We recommend following LifeLabs' guidance to keep results comparable over time.

No. Unlike Creatinine (which can be temporarily elevated by intense exercise), Cystatin-C is not affected by exercise. You can train as usual before your test - no special preparation needed.

Yes. We can arrange immunity blood testing for the following:

• Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C
• MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)
• Varicella (chickenpox)

Choose the Work & School Bloodwork panel on teletest.ca. Once results are released, a follow-up link will appear in your portal if needed.

Not available as immune-status (titre) testing:

• Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) - no titre test exists.
• IPV (Inactivated Polio Vaccine) - no titre test exists.

If you don't have vaccination records for Tdap or IPV, the recommendation is to receive the vaccine again - which is safe to do even if you've been previously vaccinated. A pharmacist can administer these (TeleTest issues the prescription; see the Vaccination panels).

For immigration, school, or employment forms: TeleTest does not complete or sign immigration, school, or employment forms. After receiving your results, you'll need to visit a walk-in clinic or your family doctor to have the form filled out.

Yes. Select the H. pylori Testing and Treatment panel on teletest.ca. The intake will help the clinician decide which test type is appropriate for your situation (breath, stool antigen, or serology). If you have recent results from your family doctor or a walk-in clinic, you can include them in the intake.

After payment and intake submission, the clinician reviews your intake within hours and the requisition is faxed immediately. You can usually be at a lab the same day. Urine chlamydia/gonorrhea results typically release in 24-48 hours (up to 3 business days). See the Results page for full turnaround timing.

• Abnormal results: TeleTest follows up automatically. A follow-up link appears in your portal and you can connect with a clinician at no additional fee. For critical results (e.g., positive bacterial STI) the link opens immediately; for non-critical abnormal results the link opens after a short batching window so the clinician can review related findings together.
• Normal results, or after you've completed the abnormal-result follow-up: submit a new consultation if you'd like to discuss results with a clinician. In the intake's additional-information section, mention which results you'd like to discuss.

See the Results page for full details on follow-up timing and what each follow-up covers.

No - each patient needs their own TeleTest account and consultation. The clinician needs to review the specific patient's intake (medical history, current medications, allergies, and any health conditions that affect what's safe to prescribe) before ordering any testing or treatment. Ordering on someone else's behalf would skip that review and isn't safe.

How to handle common scenarios:

• Your partner needs STI testing or treatment. They should create their own TeleTest account and complete the intake themselves. We can't accept partner-by-proxy ordering even when guidelines elsewhere permit it.
• Your child needs testing. TeleTest's service is designed for adults (age 18+). For pediatric testing, see a family doctor, pediatrician, or walk-in clinic.
• You're caring for a family member who can't use a portal independently. They can create the account, and you can assist them with the intake.

Yes, with one requirement: you must be physically in Ontario or BC at the time of the consultation. Our clinicians are licensed in those provinces, so the consultation itself has to happen while you're there.

A few practical points:

• The lab requisition is only valid at labs in Ontario or BC. You can't use it at a lab elsewhere in Canada or internationally.
• Results are released to your TeleTest portal regardless of where you are when results land. You can access the portal from anywhere.
• If you're moving between Ontario and BC, you don't need to do anything special - the same TeleTest account works in both provinces.
• If you're traveling outside Ontario / BC when results need follow-up, the secure-message and real-time-chat tools still work as long as you have internet access.

Yes - select the Pre-Operative Bloodwork panel on teletest.ca. A few requirements:

• You must be physically in Ontario or BC at the time of the consultation.
• The requisition can only be used at labs in Ontario or BC.
• You'll need to provide documentation from your surgeon listing the specific tests required.

TeleTest charges only for the messaging consultation. Lab fees are usually covered by your provincial health plan when ordered for surgical clearance.

Gender-affirming HRT bloodwork is not currently offered through TeleTest. We're working to make this care accessible in line with provincial gender-affirming care guidelines (Rainbow Health Ontario, Trans Care BC), but it isn't part of our current panel offering.

For gender-affirming hormone monitoring, we recommend connecting with a clinic that specializes in this care (e.g., Trans Care BC for BC patients; Rainbow Health Ontario can help locate Ontario providers).