What the HLTH 1901 is for
HLTH 1901 is the Ministry of Health’s standard requisition for outpatient laboratory tests in BC. It covers hematology, urine tests, chemistry, lipids, thyroid function, hepatitis and HIV serology, STI tests, stool tests and common microbiology. Lab operators may publish branded versions, which must follow the Ministry’s rules for standard requisitions.
The current edition is dated 2026/05/15. It replaces the 2026/01/01 edition and removes the non-nominal HIV option, and outdated copies must be replaced by November 15, 2026. Prenatal testing has its own maternity form, HLTH 1935.
Who completes it
The ordering practitioner completes the patient details, the billing choice, the tests and the signature. The collector fills in the date and time of collection, their initials and the received-by line at the lab. The patient brings the form to a community collection site.
How to fill in the requisition
Ordering practitioner and Bill to
Enter your address, phone and MSP practitioner number at the top. If you work at more than one site, indicate where results should go. A locum must name the practitioner they’re covering and include that MSP number. Tick the payer in Bill to: MSP, ICBC, WorkSafeBC, Patient or Other, and add the ICBC or WorkSafeBC claim number when one applies.
Patient details and copies
The yellow fields are required: PHN, the patient’s name, date of birth and sex. Add a contact number, and a STAT phone number if the order is urgent. Use the Copy to boxes for other practitioners who should get results, with their MSP number and clinic.
Diagnosis and medications
Give the diagnosis or reason for testing, and list current medications and antibiotics with the date and time of the last dose. This matters for drug levels, INR on anticoagulants and cultures taken after antibiotics were started.
Tests and guideline-restricted items
Tests marked with an asterisk follow provincial guidelines on bcguidelines.ca, so the box you tick has to match an indication the form names. Thyroid testing starts with TSH and adds fT4 or fT3 only when indicated. Apo B isn’t run with a lipid profile unless complex dyslipidemia is indicated. Fasting isn’t required for the lipid panels unless you tell the patient otherwise. For FIT, choose whether a copy goes to the Colon Screening Program, which applies to asymptomatic patients aged 50 to 74 every two years.
Standing orders and signature
Write standing orders in the box at the bottom with an effective date, expiry date and frequency. They’re valid for a maximum of two years. Sign and date the form. Medulla can suggest this requisition from the tests ordered in the visit plan.
Common reasons it’s delayed
- A missing PHN, date of birth or other yellow field.
- An asterisked test ticked with no matching indication or diagnosis.
- A standing order with no expiry date or frequency, or one older than two years.
- An outdated edition after the November 15, 2026 replacement date.
- No ICBC or WorkSafeBC claim number when either is selected as the payer.
- Culture sites or clinical information left blank where the form asks for them.
Submitting and who pays
The patient takes the requisition to a community lab, and results go to you and any practitioner named under Copy to. The payer is whoever you select in Bill to. MSP covers insured tests for insured indications, while self-pay items, such as PSA screening, are billed to the patient by the lab.