Updated: January 2020
Both the Tuberculosis Skin Test (TST) and Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) are acceptable tests for Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI) diagnosis.
The TST determines if someone has developed a cell-mediated immune response to the Tuberculosis (TB) bacterium – it does not detect the presence of TB bacteria directly. This immune response occurs if someone has been exposed to TB in the past.
Latent TB Infection – Diagnosis, Treatment and Reporting
If a Public Health Department requests a TB skin test, then both the test and completion of the form/report cannot be billed to the patient. Medically necessary TB skin tests and documentation are covered under OHIP. Only the appropriate OHIP fees can be claimed. (e.g., A001 for the visit/assessment and G372 for the injection).
TB skin testing solely for employment/volunteer purposes are not OHIP-insured and can be billed to the patient or third party.
Please note that tubersol provided by the government is not to be used for uninsured TB testing. When uninsured testing is performed, the tubersol should be either:
The IGRA blood test screens for exposure to Tuberculosis (TB) by indirectly measuring the body’s immune response to antigens derived from the TB bacteria. The IGRA test can differentiate a Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) response from a TB exposure-response.