A laboratory requisition form is a mandatory document used by healthcare providers to order specific diagnostic tests from a laboratory. This form serves as the foundational communication link, translating a clinician’s medical need into actionable instructions for the testing facility. It ensures the laboratory understands exactly what tests to run, on which patient, and why the tests are medically necessary.
Essential Information Fields
The integrity of the laboratory testing process begins with the meticulous completion of several distinct categories of information on the requisition form. Patient demographics are recorded first, typically including the full legal name, date of birth, current address, and phone number. Providing these details, along with unique identifiers like a medical record number, is necessary to correctly register the patient and prevent the misattribution of results.
Equally important are the details of the ordering provider, which serve as the medical and legal validation for the request. This section must contain the physician’s full name, contact information, and a signature, confirming they authorized the tests. The form also requires the specific tests requested, which are often indicated using standardized codes or check-boxes to ensure accuracy and reduce ambiguity.
The justification for the tests is provided through clinical information, most notably the diagnosis codes, known as ICD-10 codes. These codes represent the patient’s symptoms or provisional diagnosis and are required to demonstrate the medical necessity of the ordered tests. Finally, the form designates the financial responsibility via billing information, detailing the patient’s insurance company, policy number, and indicating who is responsible for the payment.
The Journey of the Requisition Form
The process begins when a physician or authorized healthcare provider determines a patient requires laboratory analysis and generates the requisition, either on paper or through an electronic ordering system. The form acts as a legal set of instructions that must accompany the biological specimen, such as blood, urine, or tissue, to the laboratory. During specimen collection, unique barcode labels are often generated from the form and affixed to the sample containers, linking the physical specimen to the patient data and ordered tests.
Upon arrival at the laboratory, the form enters the accessioning phase, where staff verify its completeness and legibility. The laboratory registers the sample by assigning a unique accession number, which is then used to track the specimen throughout the testing process. A technician confirms that the two unique identifiers on the specimen container—typically the patient’s name and date of birth—match the information on the requisition form.
The laboratory also uses the form to confirm the validity of the test request, checking that the ICD-10 code supports the ordered test for reimbursement purposes. After the requested tests are performed, the requisition ensures the resulting data is correctly linked back to the patient’s electronic health record. The laboratory then sends the final report to the ordering physician listed on the form, closing the diagnostic loop.
Why Accuracy is Critical
Any mistake or omission on the laboratory requisition form can introduce significant risks and inefficiencies into the patient care pathway. Incorrectly recording patient identification details, such as a transposed date of birth or misspelled name, can lead to results being misattributed to the wrong person, posing a serious threat to patient safety. This misidentification can cause a delay in necessary treatment or lead to a patient receiving inappropriate care based on another person’s results.
Inaccurate or missing clinical information, particularly the ICD-10 codes, frequently triggers administrative problems and financial burdens. Insurance companies rely on these codes to verify medical necessity, and a missing code often results in an immediate claim denial, leaving the patient responsible for the full cost of the testing.
If a form is illegible or incomplete, the laboratory is often required to reject the specimen outright, necessitating recalling the patient for a second sample collection and delaying a time-sensitive diagnosis. Errors can also impact the timely communication of critical results to the clinician if contact information is incorrect or missing.