Effective March 17, 2021, COVID-19 Serology Testing will be updated from COVID-19 IgG Antibody to COVID-19 Total Antibody
Internal Medicine
Effective December 9, 2020, the following insect allergen components will be available:
◊ Allergen Honey Bee Component Panel – EPIC #LAB1230747, Interface #1230747, CPT 86008
◊ Allergen Common Wasp (Yellow Jacket) Component Panel – EPIC #LAB1230752, Interface #1230752, CPT 86008
◊ Allergen Paper Wasp Component rPol d 5 – EPIC #LAB1230754, Interface #1230754, CPT 86008
◊ Cross-reactive Carbohydrate Determinant (CCD) – EPIC #LAB1230755, Interface #1230755, CPT 86008
Serum Kappa/Lambda Free Light Chain Assay Update
Effective September 28th, 2020, a new generation of the serum kappa/lambda free light chain assay has been implemented.
With the implementation of the new generation of the assay there is an approximately 20% negative bias for kappa free light chains in serum containing >20 mg/dL kappa free light chain. This may affect the trending for patient who are serially monitored by this assay.
As of August 26, 2020, the following tests will be obsoleted or made as lab orderables only. This was implemented to streamline protein electrophoresis orders and ensure that patients receive the recommended testing for the assessment of plasma cell proliferative diseases.
In addition to streamlining protein electrophoresis orders, order questions have been implemented to the available tests to access the reason for ordering to ensure that the proper reflex testing is applied.
For more information, see the lab test directory under the available tests for a protein electrophoresis orders tip sheet entitled “Orders- Protein Orderable Changes”
REMINDER: Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) PCR and HSV Culture Orders
As of January 13, 2020, the Spectrum Health Microbiology Laboratory will switch any viral culture orders placed on cutaneous or mucocutaneous lesion specimens to molecular PCR testing as the preferred diagnostic method.
Please refer to these documents for specimen collection information and appropriate ordering codes:
As of February 12, 2020 testing for fecal calprotectin will be brought in-house.
As result Calprotectin, Feces (LAB3290) will be replaced with Calprotectin, Feces (LAB1230580).
Please note the following differences between the new and previous test in terms of specimen requirements and reference ranges.
Questions may be directed to the Toxicology Laboratory using the “Contact Us” link above.
Effective December 11th, 2019, Spectrum Health Regional Laboratory’s Immunochemistry laboratory will be upgrading the following tests from the Immunoassay Vidas platform to the Multiplex flow immunoassay Bioplex 2200 platform.
All tests will continue to have the same collection instructions, processing instructions, rejection criteria, specimen stability, turn-around-time, and qualitative reference ranges of negative.