Laboratory Services
Laboratory
PMC’s Laboratory is staffed by personnel certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. The Lab is divided into five special sections, each of which deals with a different area of laboratory science: Chemistry, Hematology, Blood Bank, Microbiology and Histology. Laboratory technology and equipment at PMC are constantly changing as new advances are made in the science of Medical Technology. An example of a significant advancement in the Lab is the recent acquisition of a new immunostainer which is used to identify different types of cancer so that the most effective treatment can be administered.
Laboratory Accreditation
Congress passed the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) in 1988 establishing quality standards for all laboratory testing to ensure the accuracy, reliability and timeliness of patient test results regardless of where the test was performed. Our lab is CLIA licensed. Click here to find out more about the important lab guidelines set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and administered by The Joint Commission Laboratory Accreditation.
Our Laboratory Department is comprised of technologists, technicians, and phlebotomists which operate a variety of high tech, state of the art equipment. At Parkway Medical Center, every tech masters all components in each department of the Lab. This allows our Laboratory great flexibility.
The Laboratory staff at Parkway Medical Center provides a full service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Lab offers hundreds of lab tests for inpatients, outpatients, and emergency patients. The Lab works closely with virtually every department in the hospital.
Laboratory Services are provided at Parkway Medical Center to conduct tests on clinical specimens from patients. The laboratory gets important information from these tests to help the physician diagnose, treat and prevent diseases.
Most specimens tested are blood, urine and tissue, but you’d be surprised to know that tests could be performed on hair, fingernails and even sweat.
Lab Technicians, Technologists and Pathologists all work together to arrange for testing, including cross matching units of blood to arrange for blood transfusions, cultures, cardiac enzymes, drug monitoring, coagulation testing, blood counts, electrolytes, and chemistry assays.
Sometimes, your physician may request a test be performed that may require fasting. Certain tests are very sensitive to changes that occur after a meal, and can only be interpreted by comparing results in a fasting state. That fasting is determined by the type of test to be done. For instance, triglycerides or a lipid profile require 12 hours of fasting, but blood sugar can be tested after a six hour fast.
With a commitment to quality and accuracy, Parkway Medical Center’s lab is surveyed by The Joint Commission (the lab is surveyed along with the rest of the hospital) and all inspections are done with an eye toward assuring that the lab offers the highest possible quality of patient testing.