MCDH Lab improves services

8/25/06

The hospital’s laboratory department has made some changes recently that make lab work faster and more comfortable.  First, weekend hours have returned.  The lab is now available on Saturdays and Sundays, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  Second, there are snacks and coffee available for lab patients who have been fasting since the night before their lab tests.

Third, the patient registration process has been streamlined.  When patients arrive at the hospital for lab work, they check in at the main desk in the new Patient Services Building.  Then patients are called into a private registration room, where registration staff not only register the patient and create a medical record for this visit, they also make sure that all the necessary physician orders and insurance approvals are complete.

This new process combines two steps into one streamlined procedure handled by one individual.  Once the registration is complete, the patient is free to go to the lab for the blood draw, and usually proceeds directly to the phlebotomy station.  The wait time in the lab itself has been largely eliminated.

Patients have reported surprise and satisfaction with the streamlined process, and enjoy the refreshments that are available to them.  “The registration and lab staff have worked together to make these improvements – they really deserve credit for their efforts and teamwork,” said Susana Jung, manager of Patient Registration Services.

In addition to the improvements for patients, the lab is also offering free access to medical necessity software for all physicians’ offices.  This software can help the physician and the hospital work together to make the lab service as fast and smooth for the patient as possible.

Questions about the MCDH lab service can be directed to Emmet O’Connell, Laboratory Manager, at 961-4662.