Laboratory


The laboratory staff is dedicated to delivering exceptional, personalized service to meet your specific testing needs. Laboratory tests are very important tools for your physician. We provide quality analysis of specimens in a timely manner to aid your physician in the maintenance of well-being and in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of disease.

How do I go about getting Lab testing done?
We are required to have a physician's order when you arrive in the Laboratory. The doctor may give you the order personally or he/she may fax it to us. When you arrive at the Medical Center, it is necessary for you to register at "Admissions" before going to the Laboratory.

Explanation of testing:
About 95% of tests collected at our lab are performed in-house and most results are typically available in 24 hours. Microbiology testing (cultures) take longer to complete as organisms have to be grown on culture media before identification and antibiotic testing can take place. The remaining 5% are referred to a specialty laboratory for analysis. These tests often involve complex methodologies and may take up to 3-7 days to complete. Some tests have special requirements. Examples of this would be fasting specimens, therapeutic drug levels may need drawn at specific times, etc. If you have questions regarding preparation or timing of your tests, please feel free to call us at 620-441-5740.

Test Results:
When tests are completed, they are sent to the "ordering physician". Copies of these reports can be sent to additional providers involved in your care as requested by you or your doctor. Please share this information with the Laboratory Staff prior to your specimen being collected.

We would be happy to provide you a copy of your test results. Simply, fill out a "Consent for Release of Confidential Health Information" available in the Laboratory or Health Information Services. You may pick up your test results or they can be mailed to you. To protect the privacy of our patients, we do not give results out over the phone and we are not able to send results via e-mail or general fax.

What do the results mean?
If you have questions about the interpretation of your test results, please understand that our laboratory staff is not permitted to interpret any lab results. We regret any delay that this may cause you, but we believe it is important for your physician to discuss any interpretation of your test results with you.

Contact us:
We ask that you fill out a Patient Satisfaction Survey and share your thoughts with us regarding your experience or you may contact Carol Maxwell, Laboratory Team leader at carolm@sckrmc.org or call 620-441-5740.