Browsing Tag

Laboratory Services

General Information

Outpatient Lab Draw Site Updates

Effective Monday, October 2, 2023, the Outpatient Lab Draw Sites in Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon counties (excluding the Zeeland Hospital and Gerber Hospital sites) will begin a new process for walk-in patients.

Registration staff will begin informing the patient of their wait times based on the scheduling template available for that site for that day. This will allow the patient to make an informed decision on whether to wait, come back at a later time, or schedule an appointment time that works best for them. Patients choosing to schedule, may schedule for any available sites, times and dates in MyChart, or they may schedule with the registrar for the next 24-48 hours.  (Note: lab staff does not have the ability to schedule patients.)

Additionally, at this time, Blodgett Outpatient Lab is temporarily closed until further notice. Sites closest to Blodgett are the Integrated Care Campus at 426 Michigan St NE, 4100 Lake Drive, and Integrated Care Campus at 2750 East Beltline, or patients may visit Find a Doctor | Corewell Health to find a lab location nearest to them.

 

September 29, 2023 by
General Information

Positive COVID-19 PCR Communications

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic Spectrum Health Laboratory implemented a protocol to call providers and patients to notify of positive COVID-19 PCR testing.  The pandemic has shifted to an endemic phase and a positive COVID-19 test is no longer considered a critical value. Effective Friday, August 26, 2022, Spectrum Health Laboratory will no longer call positive COVID-19 PCR testing, for inpatient or outpatient specimens.

Results for COVID-19 PCR will still file to the patient’s chart in Epic and reported to the ordering provider through usual means of receiving results (fax or electronic) and to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Patient’s will still be notified via their MyChart as well.

If you have any questions or concerns, please use the “contact us” link above.

August 25, 2022 by
General Information

Laboratory Order Validity Update

Spectrum Health Laboratory has updated its policy regarding expected date. For those providers that send an expected date of draw with your electronic order to our laboratory, there was a change on April 24, 2019 for Epic Providers and there will be a change on May 13, 2019 for EMR interface offices. From these dates forward, if you send us an expected date of draw, our phlebotomists will draw up to 14 days before your expected date and anytime thereafter until the order expires.  If we do not receive an expected date of draw, we will treat the order as ready to collect from the day it arrives till one year out, when it expires.  All Laboratory orders, including standing or future orders, are valid up to 400 days unless otherwise specified. Continue Reading

May 9, 2019 by
Chemistry, Compliance & Safety, Education & Training, General Information, Referral/Sendouts

Preservative For 24 Hour Urine Collections

In both the inpatient and outpatient settings, the laboratory has supplied 24 hour urine containers with preservative such as acetic acid, sodium hydroxide, and boric acid.  Upon review of specimen stability requirements, it has been determined that a preservative is not needed prior to collection of most 24 hour urine tests as long as the 24 hour container is kept refrigerated or on ice during the collection period. Continue Reading

April 1, 2019 by
Compliance & Safety, Education & Training, General Information

Maintaining Specimen Integrity – Purple Priority Bags

purple priority bagSpectrum Health Regional Laboratory supplies purple priority bags for specimens that must be handled and processed immediately upon receipt in the laboratory. The purple color priority transport bag will be a visual cue to the receiving laboratory that the specimens inside the bag need to be handled or processed immediately at the time of arrival in the laboratory or the integrity of the specimen will be compromised.

Use these bags for transporting specimens to the laboratory when: Continue Reading

March 14, 2017 by
General Information

Spectrum Health Regional Laboratory Celebrates 5 years at 35 Michigan!

Construction of the 35 Michigan building

Construction of the 35 Michigan building

35 Michigan

35 Michigan after construction

On September 24, 2011, Spectrum Health Laboratory undertook a major change and moved the laboratory from Butterworth and Blodgett to a new space on the 6th and 7th floors of 35 Michigan.

The model changed from a two-lab system to a Core Lab at 35 Michigan (Spectrum Health Regional Laboratory) and an immediate response laboratory at Blodgett, creating what are affectionately known as SHRL and BIRL.

In addition to this major change, the lab implemented automation, increasing productivity and decreasing time to result. Continue Reading

September 28, 2016 by
Advanced Technology Laboratory, Cytogenetics, Flow Cytometry, General Information, Molecular Diagnostics

Advanced Technology Laboratory plays an important role in Oncology

Spectrum Health Regional Laboratory (SHRL) was featured on EightWest on WOOD TV8 on Tuesday, August 30, 2016. Dr. Stephanie F. Williams, Division Chief of Spectrum Health Adult Bone and Marrow Transplant, and Kim Collison, Director of Laboratory Services, talk about the importance and benefits of having SHRL’s Advanced Technology Laboratory right here in West Michigan.

The Advanced Technology Laboratory is “extremely important, particularly for patients with certain cancers…”

“It helps us to diagnose the patients faster and more accurately; to follow the progress of their disease during the treatments that we give, and even at times to guide us in what is the best treatment for a patient…”

“Within 2 hours we had the answer. We did not have to send that specimen out to another laboratory in another state.”

-Stephanie F. Williams, MD, Division Chief, Spectrum Health Adult Bone and Marrow Transplant

August 31, 2016 by