Updated September 30, 2008

OAML Scholarships Available for 2008-2009 Academic Year

Five OAML scholarships of $1,000 each are now available to be awarded to Ontario students enrolled in programs in Medical Laboratory Sciences. Application materials can be found on this website and the deadline for applications is Friday November 28, 2008.

New OHIP Laboratory Requisition Released August 1

The Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care has implemented changes to the OHIP Laboratory Requisition effective August 1, 2007. The new requisition is the result of extensive consultation between the OAML and the Ministry. The OMA Forms Committee was also involved in the review process.

Revisions were made that enhance patient safety, facilitate accurate clinician ordering and assist in the prompt delivery of accurate patient results. Changes were also adopted to support the transition to the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS) and future e-health applications. The new OHIP Requisition may be obtained by visiting the Government of Ontario Central Forms Site or by clicking on the link below.

OAML Revises Guidelines - New Versions Available Online

The OAML's Quality Assurance Committee, in collaboration with an expert panel, has completed revisions to one Guideline and a Communique:

• CLP015: Guideline for the use of Laboratory Tests to Detect Thyroid Dysfunction (Revised July, 2007)
• C023: Routine Reporting of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) (July, 2007)

CLP015 has been updated and replaces CLP015 and CLP016. It is intended to guide clinicians when ordering sTSH, fT3 and fT4 levels and to provide information that will assist them in making clinical decisions.

C023 supplements the Communique issued in November 2005 and reiterates that when creatinine assays have been properly standardized,the benefits of reporting the eGFR outweigh the limitations. Ontario community laboratories will therefore the current practice of reporting calculated eGFR values.

These documents and others produced by the OAML are available on the website by clicking on the following link.

Colorectal Cancer Screening Program

Community laboratories are playing a significant role in the recently launched province-wide program to provide early detection of colorectal cancer. On April 1, 2008, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care launched ColonCancerCheck, a program targeted at individuals aged 50 and over who are at average risk - having no family history of colorectal cancer or symptoms. These individuals will have access to any easy-to-use at home Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) screening kit available through physicians' offices, walk-in clinics, community health centres and pharmacies as well as through Telehealth Ontario.

Ontario's community laboratories have worked with the Ministry and Cancer Care Ontario for over a year helping to design and plan for the distribution and testing of the FOBT kits and the information management of program reuslts.

Using the community laboratories' comprehensive province wide logistics system, laboratories distributed program test kits to more than 12,000 participating physicians and 3,000 pharmacies throughout the province and will continue to supply them with kits for the life of the program.

In addition, laboratories designed standardized fecal occult blood testing procedures and a comprehensive quality assurance program specifically for this program.

The community laboratories' LIS are a vital program component providing CCO with a mechanism to gather program information critical to program design, change requirements and program success. Laboratory information systems have been modified to report test results and program information to the Colorectal Cancer Screening Registry in addition to usual results reporting to the ordering primary care physicians.

The OAML and its member laboratories are committed to helping the program achieve success as measured by increased screening rates in the province.