The effect of removal of profile requesting on chemical pathology requesting patterns.

We investigated the effect on pathology requesting behaviour in a metropolitan teaching hospital, following the proscription by the Health Insurance Commission of the MBA (multiple biochemical analysis) request. Our laboratory had provided a 20 test profile in response to a request for MBA until February 1991, when the MBA request was no longer accepted. During the period February to June 1991, requesting clinicians had to comply with the new requesting requirements, although they continued to receive the results of the 20 test profile because of limitations imposed by our laboratory instrumentation.