Effective October 3, 2023, the following changes to CBC and Blood Smear testing will be made at Corewell Health Reference Lab – West:
Education & Training, General Information, Hematology, Pathology
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Main lab
Effective October 3, 2023, Corewell Health Laboratories will discontinue the Influenza Rapid and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Rapid tests. These antigen tests are less sensitive than the nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT; such as PCR) that are now the standard of care for diagnosing these respiratory viruses. Specimen collection remains unchanged with PCR testing available for nasopharyngeal and nasal swabs collected in a universal transport media (UTM) tube.
Discontinued:
• Influenza (Flu) A/B Rapid – Epic Code: LAB9240
• Influenza (Flu) A/B Rapid, Influenza A/B PCR if Negative – Epic Code: LAB2111530
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Rapid – Epic Code: LAB495
Replace with:
• Influenza (Flu) A/B PCR – Epic Code: LAB3255
• COVID-19, Influenza A/B, RSV PCR – Epic Code: LAB1230746
General Information, Main lab, Test Utilization
Complete Blood Count (CBC) with Manual Differential Order Discontinuation
Effective October 3, 2023, the orderable Complete Blood Count (CBC) with Manual Differential [LAB2111032] will be discontinued and Manual Differential, Blood [LAB815] will be made a Lab Only Orderable.
Effective August 23, 2023, Corewell Health Coagulation Laboratory will go live with UFH Anti-IIa testing.
The Anti-IIa 2 stage heparin assay is a chromogenic assay for measuring the activity of unfractionated heparin. This method only tests unfractionated heparin.
This heparin assay is a two stage Anti IIa ( 2 Stages Heparin Assay) based on the inhibition of a constant amount of Thrombin (IIa) by the tested heparin in the presence of exogenous antithrombin.
The management of sinusitis is often aided by bacterial and fungal cultures from which Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and occasionally aerobic Gram-negative bacilli are the most commonly recovered pathogenic organisms. The Corewell Health West Microbiology Lab has several orders available for culturing sinus specimens collected as fluid aspirates, tissue, or swabs. Though more challenging to collect, aspirates are preferred over swab cultures that often grow mixed normal upper respiratory flora for which it is difficult to interpret the clinical significance.
| Available Sinus Culture Orders | Default Specimen Type | Comments |
| Body Fluid Culture [LAB2111016]
Respiratory Culture [LAB3095] Tissue Culture [LAB2111173] |
Aspirated fluid
Swabbed collection Tissue |
For aerobic bacteria |
| Fungal Culture [LAB240] | Aspirated fluid or tissue, preferred
Swabbed collection |
For fungal organisms |
| Anaerobic Culture [LAB233] | Aspirated fluid or tissue* | For anaerobic bacteria |
Education & Training, General Information, Immunochemistry, Test Utilization
Webinar: Optimizing Care of the Respiratory Patient – The Role of Specific IgE Testing
It’s the season of sunshine and blooms which also means it can be a season of sneezing, itching, and a lot of trouble getting a good breath in for some.
⇒Are you prepared to meet the needs of your patients that may be suffering from some of these symptoms?
⇒Are you well versed in the difference between a sensitivity and a clinical allergy and how you can differentiate between the two?
⇒Do you know the resources we have at Corewell Health to assist in these determinations?
Tissue specimens less than 0.1cm may yield insufficient results if submitted for Tissue Pathology. To make the best use of diagnostic tissue material please follow the below guidelines:
| Biopsy Size | Order Code | Test | Preservative |
| <0.1cm | LAB2111263 | Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) Cytology | *CytoLyt solution |
| >0.1cm | LAB8 | Tissue Pathology | 10% Formalin |
*Place entire specimen in CytoLyt. Do not attempt to make smears from specimen.
Please contact the Corewell Health Pathology Department at (616)267-2622 Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm, or the Corewell Health Laboratory Call Center at (616)774-7721, 24/7 to speak with a Pathologist.
Chemistry, General Information, Test Spotlight
Microalbumin/Creatinine, Random Urine Result Comment Update
Effective January 4, 2023, the process for reporting the Microalbumin/Creatinine ratio was changed for situations where one of the results, microalbumin and/or creatinine, is below or above the assay’s analytical measuring range (AMR).