How To Order Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM)

How To Order

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM)

You are just five steps away from your Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring results:

1

Pay for the
test online

2

Access personalized requisition from your email

3

Have your requisition signed by your healthcare provider

4

Make an appointment at a select LifeLabs location

5

Get your
results

Step 1

Test Payment

You can pay online for the ABPM test. The cost for the test in Ontario is $85 and the cost in British Columbia is $70. Tests are refundable up until the time you have your ABPM device hooked up at a LifeLabs location. ABPM could be covered under some private healthcare insurance plans. Please check with your insurance provider before paying. By clicking the pay for test button below, you will be taken to LifeLabs e-commerce store. Please select Ontario or British Columbia depending on your province.

Pay for Test in ON Pay for Test in BC

Step 2

Access personalized requisition from your email

You will receive your personalized requisition in the confirmation email after paying for the test online. This requisition will be personalized to your order, and is used by our staff to verify that your online payment.

Step 3

Have requisition signed by your healthcare provider

Print and bring the requisition form you received in the order email to your healthcare provider for signing. Requisitions not signed by a healthcare provider will not be processed and our staff will not be able to provide you with an ABPM device. Please ensure your provider signs your personalized requisition you received in the email. No other form can be used to verify your online payment!

Step 4

Make an appointment at a select LifeLabs location

ABPM services are only available at these locations. An appointment is required for ABPM services- both for device hook-up and disconnection.

For booking both your ABPM appointments (hook-up and disconnect), call:

Ontario: 1-877-849-3637

British Columbia: 1-855-412-4495

Remember to return to the same location for our technicians to disconnect the device, one day after your hook-up appointment.

You must bring your signed requisition form to your chosen LifeLabs location.

Please note: You must bring the same requisition you downloaded and printed from the order confirmation and had signed by your healthcare provider to LifeLabs in order for us to process your test.

Step 5

Get your results

Your test results will be sent directly to your healthcare provider. Most test results will be reported to your physician/healthcare provider within 5-10 business days of sample collection.

Questions? Contact Us

Healthcare Providers FAQs

Have a question or need clarification? We are here to help you find the answers you need, when you and your patients need it most.

General

Hematology

Chemistry

How do I get a medical consult on the results?

I ordered a blood film examination along with the CBC, but the blood film was not done. Why did this occur? My patient’s CBC showed platelet clumping and a platelet count could not be done. Is there a way to obtain a platelet count? My patient’s CBC was suggestive of thalassemia. What other test(s) can be done to make a definitive diagnosis of alpha or beta thalassemia trait?

I have received a report that states the result is “>” (greater than) or “<” (less than). What does this mean and why I can’t obtain a numerical result? Why is timing of sample collection important for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)? I have ordered macroprolactin. Why is monomeric prolactin reported? Why are potassium results sometimes spuriously high? I had hepatitis testing done at both LifeLabs (LL) and at Public Health Laboratories (PHL) and the results are different. Why? Why did my Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) test report state negative but included positive for a cytoplasmic pattern? When I order a Broad Spectrum Toxicology screen do I need to list specific drugs of interest on the requisition? My patient is prescribed an opioid drug (hydromorphone) but it was not detected by urine drug screen for opiates. Does this mean he/she is not taking the medication? Can the opiate urine drug screen detect all opioids and opiates?

How do I get a medical consult on the results?

The Medical/Scientific staff at LifeLabs welcomes consultations from all healthcare providers regarding:

general information about laboratory testing (utilization issues, appropriate tests to order)
the interpretation of specific results specific
questions or problems with testing

More information

I ordered a blood film examination along with the CBC, but the blood film was not done. Why did this occur?

The laboratory has defined a number of criteria for a blood film examination based on the CBC results. If these criteria are not met, then a blood film will not be done.

My patient’s CBC showed platelet clumping and a platelet count could not be done. Is there a way to obtain a platelet count?

Most platelet clumping occurs in EDTA collected specimens. To obtain a platelet count, specifically order another CBC to be done on a citrated specimen. This will often allow for a platelet count to be determined.

My patient’s CBC was suggestive of thalassemia. What other test(s) can be done to make a definitive diagnosis of alpha or beta thalassemia trait?

Hemoglobin fractionation (Hemoglobin electrophoresis) will allow for a diagnosis of Beta-Thalassemia trait , but a definitive diagnosis of alpha thalassemia trait requires genetic testing.

I have received a report that states the result is “>” (greater than) or “<” (less than). What does this mean and why I can’t obtain a numerical result?

Laboratory methods can accurately report results within specified ranges which have been confirmed for each test. The “>” or “<” on a report indicates that the concentration in the sample is either greater than or less than the measureable limits of that test. If the result is clinically abnormal it will be flagged as either “HI” or “LO”.

Why is timing of sample collection important for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)?

Sometimes the appropriate time for taking a TDM sample is immediately prior to the next dose when the drug concentration is at its minimum (trough concentration). Sometimes, a sample collected immediately after drug administration (peak concentration) may be required. Evaluation of the clinical significance of the test result therefore depends on knowledge of the time when the sample was drawn.

I have ordered macroprolactin. Why is monomeric prolactin reported?

Knowing the level of monomeric (active) prolactin in a sample helps interpret the clinical significance of the macroprolactin result. The procedure for measuring macroprolactin actually requires determination of the monomeric prolactin result.

Why are potassium results sometimes spuriously high?

Among the likely causes of a spuriously high potassium are challenges with sample collection, time to centrifugation and sample transportation issues. Clenching your fist before or during sample collection can also contribute to spuriously high potassium results.

I had hepatitis testing done at both LifeLabs (LL) and at Public Health Laboratories (PHL) and the results are different. Why?

PHL and LL use different methods for hepatitis testing and sometimes results from these two methods can and will differ. We usually recommend retesting. If the repeat results also differ you can consult our Medical Scientific team.

Why did my Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) test report state negative but included positive for a cytoplasmic pattern?

The test for ANAs can also detect non-nuclear (cytoplasmic) autoantibodies. Where no ANA is detected but we observe a cytoplasmic pattern we have to indicate “negative” for ANA but best practice demands that we report the presence of these cytoplasmic autoantibodies.

When I order a Broad Spectrum Toxicology screen do I need to list specific drugs of interest on the requisition?

No. All drugs included in the BST menu will be tested with each BST screen. Only drugs detected above the reporting cut off will be reported.

My patient is prescribed an opioid drug (hydromorphone) but it was not detected by urine drug screen for opiates. Does this mean he/she is not taking the medication?

This could be one of the answers, but there are other possibilities. For example the opiate drug screen test has poor cross-reactivity with this drug and so may not detect it. Pre-analytical error such as sample misidentification is another possibility. Contact one our Medical/Scientific staff for further assistance.

Can the opiate urine drug screen detect all opioids and opiates?

The opiate screen can detect natural opiates such as codeine and morphine. Cross-reactivity is poor with semi-synthetic opiates such as hydrocodone, hydromorphone and oxycodone. In addition, the test will not detect any of the synthetic opioids (i.e. fentanyl, tramadol, meperidine), methadone, or buprenorphine.

General

1 ) How do I get a medical consult on the results?

The Medical/Scientific staff at LifeLabs welcomes consultations from all healthcare providers regarding:

general information about laboratory testing (utilization issues, appropriate tests to order)
the interpretation of specific results specific
questions or problems with testing

More information

Hematology

1 ) I ordered a blood film examination along with the CBC, but the blood film was not done. Why did this occur?

The laboratory has defined a number of criteria for a blood film examination based on the CBC results. If these criteria are not met, then a blood film will not be done.

2 ) My patient’s CBC showed platelet clumping and a platelet count could not be done. Is there a way to obtain a platelet count?

3 ) My patient’s CBC was suggestive of thalassemia. What other test(s) can be done to make a definitive diagnosis of alpha or beta thalassemia trait?

Hemoglobin fractionation (Hemoglobin electrophoresis) will allow for a diagnosis of Beta-Thalassemia trait , but a definitive diagnosis of alpha thalassemia trait requires genetic testing.

Chemistry

1 ) I have received a report that states the result is “>” (greater than) or “<” (less than). What does this mean and why I can’t obtain a numerical result?

2 ) Why is timing of sample collection important for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)?

3 ) I have ordered macroprolactin. Why is monomeric prolactin reported?

4 ) Why are potassium results sometimes spuriously high?

5 ) I had hepatitis testing done at both LifeLabs (LL) and at Public Health Laboratories (PHL) and the results are different. Why?

6 ) Why did my Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) test report state negative but included positive for a cytoplasmic pattern?

7 ) When I order a Broad Spectrum Toxicology screen do I need to list specific drugs of interest on the requisition?

No. All drugs included in the BST menu will be tested with each BST screen. Only drugs detected above the reporting cut off will be reported.

8 ) My patient is prescribed an opioid drug (hydromorphone) but it was not detected by urine drug screen for opiates. Does this mean he/she is not taking the medication?

9 ) Can the opiate urine drug screen detect all opioids and opiates?

How To Order

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM)

1

2

3

4

5

Step 1

Test Payment

Step 2

Access personalized requisition from your email

Step 3

Have requisition signed by your healthcare provider

Step 4

Make an appointment at a select LifeLabs location

Step 5

Get your results

Questions? Contact Us

Healthcare Providers FAQs

Question

Answer