Outage notice:

Due to the global information outage that occurred this morning, Athena is taking swift action to respond, recover and restore our operations. We appreciate your patience as we work toward returning to normal operations.

Canada Ordering Information

  1. Download the Canada test requisition: English  |  French
  2. Select the test(s) and complete the requisition
  3. Call Athena Diagnostics Billing for pricing at 1-800-394-4493, option 4
  4. Apply to your provincial Ministry of Health for Out of Country services prior approval
    • For most provinces a Ministry of Health letter of authorization is required
    • Athena Diagnostics will accept and store specimens awaiting MOH prior approval
    • For a resource guide to several Ministry of Health Out of Country services programs, please click here
    • For non-MOH reimbursed testing, payment in full is required before testing begins
    • For additional billing options, including private pay or out-of-pocket, please scroll to the bottom of this page
  5. Collect patient specimen and ship it, with the requisition and payment information, to Athena Diagnostics.
    • To order FedEx prepaid shipping kits, please click here

Ship samples to:
Athena Diagnostics
200 Forest Street
2nd Floor
Marlborough, MA 01752

Shipping and Customs Instructions

To ensure specimen stability, please follow the specimen collection and shipping instructions for each test ordered. Instructions are located in the Test Catalog search tool on the left. General shipping guidelines are available to the left in the blue side-bar.

All specimen shipments to Athena Diagnostics should include the following:

  1. The specimen
  2. A test requisition
  3. A customs memo
  4. Payment/payment information (If payer is not the Ministry of Health)

The customs memo must be filled out by the ordering institution that is shipping the specimen and contain the following information:

  • The air-bill tracking number in the first and third blank space, and
  • The specimen collection tube color in the second blank space

Athena Diagnostics accepts shipments from Monday though Friday, except for holidays. To ensure specimen stability, shipments should only be made to Athena Diagnostics such that they arrive within this time frame and in consideration of holiday restrictions. For a list of the holidays on which Athena Diagnostics is closed, please click here.

Shipping Kit Ordering Instructions

Complimentary shipping kits, with FedEx pre-paid air-bills, are available upon request. Please contact Athena Diagnostic client services at 1-800-394-4493, Option 2 and request Canada specimen shipping kits or you may order online

Billing and Payment Instructions

As indicated in the test requisition form, there are three types of payment procedures for Canadian clients. All payments must be denominated in US dollars.

Ministry of Health Payment
Provincial Ministry of Health coverage is by far the most common form of payment and falls under the various provincial Out of Country services programs. Please refer to your provincial Ministry of Health for more details.

Institutional Payment
Institutional payment occurs when the ordering hospital/lab covers the cost of the test. Ordering clients can pay in full either at the time the test is ordered or, if they qualify, via direct billing from Athena Diagnostics. Please contact Athena Diagnostics Billing at 1-800-394-4493, option 4, for information on establishing a direct bill account. Payment must be denominated in US dollars.

Patient Self-Pay
If the patient is covering the cost of the test, payment in full must be received before testing begins. Please contact Athena Diagnostics Billing at 1-800-394-4493, option 4 to secure payment by credit card, wire transfer or personal check. Payment must be denominated in US dollars.

For Credit Card, Bank Check and Wire Transfer Payment Instructions, please call our billing department at (800) 394-4493, option 4.

Your representative can help you understand the approval process for your province. Please contact Athena Client Services at (800) 394-4493 option 2 or click here to contact your local representative.

Ministry of Health Payment

Provincial Ministry of Health coverage is by far the most common form of payment and falls under the various provincial Out of Country services programs. Please refer to your provincial Ministry of Health for more details


Ministry of Health Out of Country Services Programs: Resource Guide