New cytology fee structure
Tim Pasma, Kris Ruotsalo, Marco Leung
Animal Health Laboratory, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON.
AHL Newsletter 2026;30(2):4.
In order to continue providing high-quality cytology services and maintain our turnaround time standards, we have updated our cytology submission guidelines and fee structure. Fees and slide limits are tiered based on the number of sites sampled to ensure billing transparency and streamline our laboratory processing.
Cytology smears
- 1-2 sites: Maximum 5 slides (Testcode: cytsm1)
- 3-4 sites: Maximum 10 slides (Testcode: cytsm2)
- 5-7 sites: Maximum 15 slides (Testcode: cytsm3)
- 8-9 sites: Maximum 18 slides (Testcode: cytsm4)
- 10 sites: Maximum 20 slides (Testcode: cytsm5)
Lymph node and bone marrow
- Lymph node: Maximum 10 slides (Testcode: cytln)
- Bone marrow: Maximum 10 slides (Testcode: bm)
Slides submitted above the maximum limit for each category will result in an additional charge. We highly encourage clinicians to submit only the most representative slides for diagnostic evaluation to avoid unnecessary charges.
Fluid submissions
For general fluid analyses, billing is based on a charge per tube rather than per slide. This applies to abdominal, thoracic, synovial, transtracheal / BAL, and urine samples (Testcode: cyto).
If you submit multiple tubes, for example, a BAL submission, and would like these tubes pooled, please indicate this on the submission form.
Special exception for CSF - (Testcode: cytcsf)
Handling protocol: Deliver CSF samples to the laboratory immediately. If the sample cannot be sent immediately, split the sample evenly into two plain tubes: one neat sample and one with an equal volume of autologous serum added to the CSF fluid to preserve cell morphology. Please label both tubes appropriately.
Billing exception: When following this specific preservation protocol, the two submitted CSF tubes will incur only one single charge.