Vitamin D

Payment required:

• If the form does not include clinical details

No payment required:

• If the form includes clinical details
• If requested by a Specialist
• If the test is for bariatric surgery patients

Restrictions on Vitamin D testing

The following criteria apply to Vitamin D tests at Pathlab. The tests will be performed only when:

• Ordered by specialists
• Ordered for bariatric surgery patients
• Paid requests
• Limited settings for funded testing when not requested by a specialist:

1. Pregnancy with all three of the following risk factors: 1) Naturally dark skin tone 2) Living south of Nelson-Marlborough during winter or spring 3) limited time spent outdoors and/or minimal sun exposure due to religious, cultural, personal, or medical reasons
2. Unexplained raised serum alkaline phosphatase, or low calcium or phosphate
3. Atypical osteoporosis
4. Unexplained proximal limb pain in older people
5. Unexplained bone pain, unusual fractures, or other evidence suggesting metabolic bone disease in both adults and children (consider specialist advice for people in this category)
6. Patients with other good clinical reasons to suspect severe vitamin D deficiency e.g. Cystic fibrosis, malabsorption, or dark skin with other risk factors; in some cases, primary hyperparathyroidism (eucalcaemic hyperparathyroidism, or severe vitamin D deficiency suspected of causing secondary hyperparathyroidism); on long-term medications that may affect bone health or vitamin D levels, such as steroids or anticonvulsants, or rituximab
7. Strong clinical suspicion of vitamin D toxicity