
Preparing for a Test
Arriving prepared for your test can help ensure all goes smoothly.

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Heart Monitoring
Prepare for a Visit
When you visit a LifeLabs patient service centre, please bring these two items:
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Requisition form
A valid and completed requisition form for the tests ordered by your doctor/healthcare provider. To reduce your wait time, complete the personal information on the form in advance. Note: In Ontario, forms issued by hospitals are not accepted at LifeLabs and tests must be completed by the issuing hospital.
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Valid health card
Bring your valid provincial health card each time you visit the Patient Service Centre.
- Although most routine tests are covered under your provincial health insurance plan, some tests may not be covered.
- If you forget your health card or if your card has expired, we may ask you for payment to process your tests.
- If your test is not covered under your provincial health insurance plan, for your convenience, we accept: cash, cheque, Visa, MasterCard and debit card.
A standing order requisition is valid until the expiry date indicated by the ordering doctor/healthcare practitioner up to a maximum of six (6) months from your first visit.
After six months, you will need to return to your doctor/healthcare provider for a new standing order requisition if repeated testing is still required.
Proper patient identification is crucial for testing accuracy. That’s why you can expect us to ask for patient information twice during each visit.
Once when you are registering, and once again before your procedure, we will ask you to give us your:
- health insurance card
- first and last name
- date of birth
- address
Before your test, follow all required steps for the particular laboratory test your physician has ordered. This may include fasting or other preparations. For more details, see Patient Test Instructions.
We know you are busy and we want to help you get back to your day. That’s why appointments may be booked to help reduce your wait time. If you are unable to book an appointment, we do our best to minimize your wait, but the length of your visit will depend on the number of patients in the Patient Service Centre. Typically, wait times are a little longer in the morning as patients tend to fast for tests over night.
After your visit, your sample will be taken to one of our laboratory testing facilities for processing and reporting.
Patient Test Instructions
Patients FAQs
Your health & safety is important to us
Please note that face masks are mandatory at all times at all of our locations to ensure the health and safety of all customers and employees.