Effective July 8, 2026, the Protein Electrophoresis, CSF and Serum will no longer be performed in-house. The new panel will now be sent to Quest Diagnostics.
As a reminder, in observance of the Independence Day holiday, all Corewell Health Laboratory Patient Service Centers (drawstations) will be closed on Friday, July 3, 2026.
Per our holiday schedule, when a holiday falls on a Saturday, it is observed on the preceding Friday. Therefore, our drawstations will be closed on Friday, July 3, as the observed holiday, and will remain closed on Saturday, July 4.
Effective July 8, 2026, serum viscosity tests ordered and collected at Corewell Health Southwest and West Michigan will be performed at the Corewell Health Reference Laboratory East.
This change includes an updated testing methodology, transitioning from an Ostwald capillary viscometer (water comparison) to a cone-plate viscometer. The reference range will also be updated from 1.4–1.8 units to 1.0–2.0 centipoise (cP).
A small positive bias is expected with the new method; however, this will not impact patient result trending.
TEST INFORMATION
Viscosity, Serum [LAB7650]
Effective June 3, 2026, due to vendor raw material supply shortages, all Lipoprotein (a) testing will be transitioned from in-house assay to Quest Diagnostics, Wood Dale, IL.
| Current (In-House) | Quest Diagnostics | |
| Test Name | Lipoprotein (a) | Lipoprotein (a) |
| Test code | LAB1230915 | LAB1232338 |
| Preferred Specimen Type | Serum | Serum |
| Reference Range | ≤30 mg/dL | <75 nmol/L |
| Turn Around Time | 2 days | 4 days |
.
| Quest Diagnostics Risk Stratification Risk | nmol/L |
| Optimal | <75 |
| Moderate | 75-125 |
| High | >125 |
NOTE: With this transition, there will be changes in reference ranges and units of measurement. The units will change from mass units (mg/dL) to molar units (nmol/L); molar units are the preferred units per the 2026 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee Guidelines. There are no changes to the specimen type. Turnaround time will be 4 days.
ffective June 2, 2026, Paraneoplastic Autoantibody Evaluation will no longer be offered by Mayo. The recommended alternate test will be the Encephalitis Antibody Evaluation performed at Quest.
Due to the short notice from Mayo, the new Quest test will not be orderable so will need to be ordered as a Reference Lab Sendout for Miscellaneous Test.
The new orderable test will be available July 8, 2026.
Testing being inactivated:
| Lab number | Test name |
| LAB10022 | Paraneoplastic Autoantibody Evaluation, Serum |
| LAB1230344
|
Paraneoplastic Autoantibody Evaluation, CSF |
Quest alternate testing to Order as Reference Lab Sendout for Miscellaneous
| Quest Test code | Quest test name |
| 94955 | Encephalitis Antibody Evaluation with reflex, Serum |
| 94958 | Encephalitis Antibody Evaluation with reflex, CSF |
For questions regarding testing, please use the “contact us” link above.
Dearborn, Farmington Hills, Grosse Pointe, Royal Oak, Southeast Michigan, Taylor, Trenton, Troy, Wayne
Body Fluid Culture – Specimen Collection Update
Effective June 1, 2026, Corewell Health Microbiology Laboratory in Southeast Michigan is updating specimen collection criteria for body fluid specimens. Microbiology will no longer accept red top vacutainer tubes as a collection device for body fluids (i.e. synovial fluid, pleural fluid, peritoneal fluid, etc). Collection criteria information has been updated in Corewell’s Lab Test Directory to reflect this change. Test order for body fluid cultures is LAB2111016 (aerobic culture) and commonly accompanied by LAB233 (anaerobic culture).
Niles, Southwest Michigan, St. Joseph, Watervliet
Changes to Outpatient Occult Blood (FIT) Stool Testing (Corewell Health Southwest Region)
Effective Tuesday, May 26, 2026, outpatient occult blood testing (stool) will no longer be performed at Corewell Health Lakeland St. Joseph Laboratory and will instead be routed or mailed to Corewell Health Reference Laboratory in Grand Rapids, MI (35 Michigan St.) for processing.
In addition, the collection kits will be updated from OC-Light™ S FIT collection kits to OC-Auto™ collection kits.
Corewell Health System, Diagnostic Lab of Michigan, General Information
Client Letter Update: Diagnostic Lab of Michigan
Corewell Health and Quest Diagnostics recently distributed a client letter with updates on Diagnostic Lab of Michigan and ongoing integration efforts.
Click here to read the full letter
Click here to read the full letter
Effective Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Schistocyte Review (LAB1231565) will be available to order across all Corewell Health Laboratories Hematology Departments.
This new orderable supports alignment across Corewell Health regions by standardizing schistocyte assessment practices, ensuring high‑quality testing, and delivering a consistent patient care experience system‑wide.