HICKORY, NC – Sept. 17, 2013 – Catawba Valley Medical Center
has completed upgrades to its pathology laboratory. The multiyear renovation
project updated the 7000 sq. ft. laboratory and saw the relocation and
construction of a new histology area. With the project’s completion,
the laboratory is expected to increase efficiency and decrease cost through
an extended in-house testing menu.
“The newly upgraded laboratory is a more efficient use of space,”
said Nancy Lawson, MA, MLS(ASCP)DLM, Laboratory Director. “This
will allow our team to work more efficiently in getting results to physicians
faster.”
As a result of the upgrades, the laboratory’s testing menu now includes
services such as a hepatitis panel, which had previously been outsourced.
In anticipation of the expanded facility, the Medical Center acquired
a Cepheid Gene Expert for molecular genetic analysis of infectious diseases,
including MRSA, sexually transmitted diseases and flu, among others.
“Molecular tests that used to take a couple of days, now take an
hour to complete,” said Lawson. “By moving testing, like the
hepatitis panel, in-house, we expect a quicker turnaround for patients.
Cost should also be decreased as we will no longer need to outsource certain
tests.”
The new pathology laboratory meets the regulatory requirements of the College
of American Pathologists (CAP), and the relocation places the histology
area closer to the operating room. This move is expected to increase the
speed of intraoperative consultations, the analysis of a specimen during
surgery by a pathologist.
About Catawba Valley Medical Center
Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC) in Hickory, N.C., is the region’s
largest not-for-profit, public healthcare system and serves the community
without direct funding from taxes. CVMC provides and promotes physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of the public in addition to
serving as a center for health education, wellness services, preventive
medicine and acute care. CVMC has received three Magnet designations from
the American Nurses Credentialing Center and has been recognized with
three Women’s Choice Awards, being named one of America’s
Best 100 Hospitals for Patient Experience in 2012 and 2013, a 2013 Best
Hospital for Patient Experience in Obstetrics and one of America’s
Best Hospitals in Orthopedics in 2013 by WomenCertified®. CVMC received
the 2013 QUEST® Award for High-Value Healthcare from Premier, recognizing
a reduction in harm, mortality, readmissions and costs, while improving
the patient experience and delivering evidence-based care. For more information,
please visit
http://www.catawbavalleymedical.org.