A referral for consultation occurs when a patient requires a diagnostic service, including laboratory testing or any medical imaging. The act of completing a requisition ensures that the referral process includes both a mechanism for the consulting service (laboratory or medical imaging specialists) to close the loop with the referring physician, and a way to specifically contact that physician if there are questions or concerns for the patient including, but not limited to, reporting critical results.
The referral-consultation process is a key component to delivering patient-centered care, ensuring that patients receive the specialized expertise they need for optimal health outcomes. For additional information on the referral consultation process, refer to CPSBC’s Referral-Consultation Process guideline.
Inaccurate or incomplete patient and/or ordering physician information on diagnostic service requisitions can be a significant contributor to delayed diagnostic investigations and errors in reporting as a breakdown in the referral process has occurred.
It is the responsibility of ordering physicians to ensure diagnostic service requisitions are appropriate, accurate and complete, including all fields of information.
The Diagnostic Accreditation Program (DAP) requires ordering physicians to include the following information on all outpatient diagnostic service requisitions:
- patient contact information
- patient address
- patient personal health number
- ordering physician contact information (a mailing address or corporate address alone is inadequate)
- MSP number
- additional diagnostic service specific requirements as per applicable DAP accreditation standards
For information on DAP accreditation standards, contact dap@cpsbc.ca.