Resources for Primary Care Providers

Quality healthcare relies on strong partnerships and we deeply value our relationship with primary care providers.

By working together, we enhance hospital experiences, ensure safer transitions home and improve the overall health of residents in Niagara.

Latest Updates 

Apr. 7, 2026 - Updated CT & MRI Requisition Forms – NH Implementation

A message from Janice Feather, Director of Medical Imaging & Dr. Julian Dobranowski, Chief Physician, Medical Imaging 

Ontario Health is moving toward digital‑first processes by reducing reliance on paper‑based workflows. The standardized referral form is part of the broader Patient Before Paperwork strategy and will enable future electronic referrals (eReferral) and centralized intake. 

Ontario Health West (OHW) has released new standardized CT & MRI requisition forms and will stop accepting older requisition forms after the end of May 2026. Full details can be found on our Resources for Primary Care Providers webpage. 

To align with this change, Niagara Health has made recent updates to its Medical Imaging requisition forms to ensure all required patient information is captured and processed efficiently. This includes the addition of non-invasive cardio diagnostics.

Important dates 

• OHW regional transition: Older forms accepted until end of May 2026 
• Niagara Health enforcement: NH Legacy forms will no longer be accepted after Apr. 20, 2026 

What providers need to do 

• Begin using the updated forms immediately 
• Ensure all required fields are completed to avoid delays or fax‑backs 
• Ocean e‑referral processes remain unchanged 

Access the forms 

• Niagara Health requisition forms 
• OHW standardized CT and MRI forms 

If you have any questions, please contact the Medical Imaging Booking Office at 905-378-4647 x46350. Thank you for continuing to use the updated requisition forms and for your partnership in supporting high‑quality patient care. 
 

Mar. 24, 2026 - IMPORTANT UPDATE – New OH West CT & MRI Requisition Forms & Plan for Diagnostic Imaging Central Intake

A message from: 

Sarah Jane Adams, Director of Coordinated Access and OH West DI Central Intake Co Chair 

Dr. Narinder Paul, Department Head, Medical Imaging at LHSC and St. Joseph’s Health Care London and OH West DI Central Intake Co Chair 

Updated OH West CT & MRI paper-based requisition forms are now available! 

• Please find a copy of these CT and MRI common requisition in the PDF version on the WeCare2Image website here. The PS Suite, OSCAR, and Accuro version will be released in the near future – communication will be shared on the release of these forms. 
• Please begin to use these updated CT and MRI requisition forms. Hospitals will no longer accept the older versions after the end of May 2026. 
• Please do not change your e-referral practice. Ocean e-referral is not impacted at this time. 
• The OH West Diagnostic Imaging Central Intake will begin testing the e-Solution with some Hamilton Health Sciences fax numbers. If your requisition goes through the e-solution and is incomplete, you will receive a faxback with a cover letter indicating the missing information required. 

What is different about these requisition forms: 
The updated requisition forms are identical to what you use today, with an additional list of all 27 hospital organizations in the OH West region. You will be required to select/ checkmark one default hospital organization. 

There is also a section to indicate if a patient cannot be directed to a different hospital with shorter wait times. At this time, we are not load-balancing requisitions in the region, but we have proactively included this section to prevent releasing another requisition in the future.  

What does this mean for referring providers:  

• Begin using the latest CT & MRI requisition forms March 2026 onwards.  
• Complete all required information on the requisition forms, so they do not get rejected and sent back. Please see the criteria for a complete requisition form below.  
• Fax the requisitions to hospitals as you would today. Fax numbers for all hospitals can be found on the WeCare2Image website here.  

What does this mean for hospitals:  

• Accept all requisition forms (old and updated).  
• Share a faxback to referring providers who do not use the latest requisition form, to remind them about the May 2026 deadline to switch to the updated form. Note: The faxback template has been shared with all hospitals.  
• Continue to protocol the referrals using current processes & common core protocols.  
• For HHS only - If the requisition form is going through the central intake e-Solution (e.g., for some HHS fax numbers), there will be an additional cover letter attached.  

Criteria for a complete requisition form:  

• A minimum of patient first and last name, date of birth, sex -or- gender, and phone number. 
• At least one of Health Number, WSIB Claim, or Other (self-pay…).  
• Information for Reason for Exam
• Exam/Region(s) of Interest
• Referring Provider phone, or fax number
• Referring Provider signature
• Yes or No check boxes for Renal Assessment (CT only)
• Patient Height and Weight
• Minimum of one check box for Contraindications (MRI only)  
• Checkmark one hospital organization as a default location where the referral should be directed  

Other regional changes coming up:  
In Summer 2026, the OH West Diagnostic Imaging Central Intake will launch with one central fax number where all outpatient CT and MRI paper-based referrals would need to be sent too, using the latest requisition forms. The requisition forms must be complete or else they will be rejected. E-referral Ocean requisitions will transition into e-faxes, if sent via central intake. Hospitals will transition to no longer accepting outpatient referrals directly starting Fall 2026.

All questions can be directed to WECARE2IMAGE@hhsc.ca and more information about the DI Central Intake project can be found on the wecare2image.ca website. We thank you for your continued support and dedication to this transformation. 

- Sarah Jane Adams and Dr. Narinder Paul 

Dec. 2, 2025 - Kidney Wise Toolkit

In November, Dr. Danny Lagrotteria, Head of Service for Nephrology, and Jennifer Law, Director for Kidney Care, presented to the NH Department of Primary Care and the Governance Committee of the Niagara Practitioners Healthcare Alliance (NPHA) on the Kidney Wise Toolkit.

Supported by the Ontario Renal Network, the toolkit is designed to strengthen person-centred and high-quality primary care for people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) across Ontario. It offers clear, evidence-based guidance to help primary care providers identify, detect and manage CKD and outlines when patients may benefit from timely referral to nephrology.

NH strongly supports the use of this valuable resource, which includes a direct link to the Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) referral form that can be faxed to the NH clinic at 905-641-5218. Primary care providers may also access immediate consultation and urgent assessment through the SCOPE nephrologist on call.

The Kidney Wise Toolkit is available online at: KidneyWise Toolkit | ORN.

Dec. 2, 2025 - Surgical Termination Referral Process

Niagara Health has changed how referrals for surgical terminations are made. This applies to requests from primary care providers for a consult service for surgical terminations (under both minimal and deep sedation) for their patients.

How to refer

You can submit a referral using this form and it should include dating the ultrasound and blood work results.

Ultrasounds should be completed after six (6) weeks gestation as earlier ultrasounds cannot guarantee demonstration of an intrauterine pregnancy.

Eligibility

This service is available to those with a gestational age of less than 12 weeks at the time of procedure.

Next steps

Your patient will be contacted directly with appointment information. For any referrals received that do not qualify for this clinic, the patient will be redirected back to the referring physician.

Primary care providers should also counsel patients appropriately about family planning options. If more counselling is required or medical termination is requested, the patient should be directed to Niagara Public Health Sexual Health or a known medical termination service provider.

Nov. 7, 2025 - Patient data for Anatomic Pathology and Microbiology now available in OLIS

We are pleased to inform you that patient data from Niagara Health for both Anatomic Pathology (as of September 24, 2025) and Microbiology (as of October 1, 2025) is now available in the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS).

This means you can now view lab results from these sources directly in OLIS as part of your routine patient care and clinical decision-making. The gap in patient data from November 9, 2024 to July 17, 2025 will remain.  

Sept. 23, 2025 - Niagara Health Updated Medical Imaging Requisition Forms

Starting Oct. 1, 2025, Niagara Health will be implementing new Medical Imaging requisition forms. These forms are available on the Information for Referring Providers webpage here.

Why this change is happening:

• Many requisitions currently being used are outdated and no longer reflect current services or best practices.
• The new forms ensure we capture the relevant clinical information required to provide timely appointments, and safe, high-quality care.
• Improved information allows us to better personalize care during patient imaging appointments.
• The forms support enhanced appointment reminder services that use technology to keep patients informed.
• They align with Ontario Health West’s Central Intake launch of standardized CT and MRI requisitions.

Important note:

After Oct. 1, 2025, any requests submitted on old requisition forms will be faxed back with instructions to use the updated forms. If you have any questions, please contact the Medical Imaging Booking Office at 905-378-4647 x46350.

Thank you for your support as we make this important change to improve patient care and align with provincial standards.

Aug. 19, 2025 - CT Acknowledgement of Extended Appointment Timelines

At this time, Niagara Health is experiencing extended appointment timelines for outpatient CT scans due to an increase in referral volumes for imaging.  
 
Please see the memo from July 22, 2025 on our Resources for Primary Care Providers webpage (below) outlining our current CT Scanner Upgrade Project. 
 
If your patient is able and willing to travel, we encourage you to explore alternative referral options, including outside of Niagara, where CT wait times are currently lower. If this is in the best interest of your patient, please let us know to discard the requisition or cancel the future patient booking by contacting the booking office via fax or phone with the original fax requisition date. This is to prevent duplication of services.  
 
If the patient is unable to travel, we will book your patient in the next available CT appointment within Niagara Health.  
 
Thank you for your patience and continued support during this time.  

Aug. 1, 2025 - Niagara Health electrocardiograms (ECG’s) available via Health Report Manager (HRM)

July 22, 2025 - CT Scanner Upgrade Project: Ongoing collaboration to support timely patient care

Thank you for your continued support as Niagara Health undertakes a significant upgrade to our CT scanners fleet – an important step in enhancing diagnostic care for patients across the region.

A project of this size involves many moving parts, and we acknowledge the impact it may have on wait times for some patients as CT scanners are upgraded sequentially. We want to emphasize that throughout this transition, urgent and critical patients will continue to be prioritized.

To help manage volumes and maintain access during this time, we are asking for your support in two key areas:

1. Please refer non-urgent CT patients to community imaging providers when appropriate. This will help preserve hospital-based resources for urgent and higher-acuity needs and contribute to more timely care overall.
2. For patients who are able and willing to travel, we encourage you to explore referral options outside of Niagara, such as Brantford General Hospital or Haldimand War Memorial Hospital in Dunnville, where CT wait times are currently significantly lower.

If your patients’ condition changes before their scheduled scan, we ask that you please escalate the urgency by contacting us – alerting our team members that the patients’ priority level may need to be re-evaluated.

We greatly appreciate your flexibility and collaboration as we work to maintain timely access to diagnostic care throughout this transition. For more information about the project, including implementation timelines and mitigation strategies, we invite you to watch a recording of our Town Hall information session.

Thank you for your continued partnership in delivering safe, high-quality care for patients across Niagara.

Resources 

• CT Scanners Replacement Project Town Hall Recording 
• Urgent Care Centre Shift Coverage
• Lettertoreferringproviders-CentralClinicalIntake.pdf
• SuspectedMeaslesProtocol-English.pdf
• Suspected Measles Protocol - French

• Infusion clinics HIS Tip Sheet 

• Fax Delivery Change Request Form