Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is currently available to all pregnant individuals in Ontario. The funding for NIPT varies and will depend on the reason for testing.

Requisitions

OHIP-Funded NIPT

These requisitions are to be completed by a health care provider for those patients who meet the

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care criteria for funding.

• Dynacare Lab (Harmony) OHIP requisition
• Lifelabs (Panorama) OHIP requisition

Patient-pay NIPT

If a patient does not meet the MOH criteria for OHIP-funded NIPT, there are a number of commercial laboratories (including those above) that offer this screening at the patient's own cost. Pricing varies between labs, ranging from $99 USD through to $500 CAD.

• Dynacare Lab (Harmony) patient-pay requisition
• Lifelabs (Panorama) patient-pay requisition

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) funding

If one of the following specific clinical criteria are met, NIPT will be funded by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).

Category I criteria: (can be ordered by any physician)

• a positive prenatal screening result from multiple marker screening (MMS) for this pregnancy
• the maternal age (or age of the egg donor) will be 40 years or older at the expected date of delivery
• the nuchal translucency (NT) measurement is ≥3.5mm
• there is a personal history of a previous pregnancy or child with a specific chromosome condition

Category II criteria: (must be ordered by a genetics or maternal-fetal medicine specialist)

• there are findings on ultrasound which are associated with an increased chance for trisomy 21, trisomy 18 or trisomy 13
• there is risk for a sex-linked genetic condition
• the ultrasound shows findings suggestive of a sex chromosome difference
• the ultrasound shows findings suggestive of a disorder of sex determination

Patients can be referred to a Regional Genetics centre for further information about the Category II criteria for funding and whether you meet the requirements.