Reminder: Use of publicly funded Tubersol
CORRECTION: Please note that the previous version of this bulletin stated that publicly funded Tubersol could be used for clients under the age of 65 who are entering long-term care facilities. The Canadian Tuberculosis Standards, 8th edition recommends only a symptom screen to rule out active TB for all admissions to long-term care and retirement homes, regardless of the age of the resident. A posteroanterior and lateral chest X-ray should be performed if a resident fails the symptom screen and the resident should be referred for medical assessment if indicated. For any further questions on TB screening, please contact the Infectious and Communicable Diseases program at 613-966-5500, ext. 349.
Please be aware of the following regarding the use of publicly funded Tubersol to identify tuberculosis.
Medically necessary tuberculosis (TB) skin tests and documentation are covered by Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) for:
- Contacts of cases of active Tuberculosis.
- Tests deemed to be “medically necessary” by the client’s physician or nurse practitioner, based on level of risk as identified in the Canadian Tuberculosis Standards, 8th edition (e.g. prior to beginning immunosuppressive therapy).
- When required by an educational institution for admission or continuation in a day care or pre-school program, or a program of study in a school, community college, university or other educational institution.
Publicly funded, or government-funded Tubersol, can only be used in circumstances where a TB skin test is funded by OHIP. The TST and documentation required in the above situations are OHIP insured, and therefore the patient cannot be charged for the test or the documentation required.
Uninsured TB skin tests
Tubersol provided by the government is not to be used for uninsured TB skin tests. When uninsured testing is performed, the testing solution should be either:
- Acquired by a primary care provider and sold to the patient at a direct cost (with reasonable mark-up to account for any indirect costs (e.g., storage, administrative, etc.).
- Acquired by the patient from the pharmacy, via prescription provided by a primary care provider.
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