One of the most important components of the healthcare system is the laboratory. The lab provides information that assists medical providers in making important decisions when it comes to diagnosing and treating patients accurately and safely.
Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) recognizes the importance of having an advanced laboratory and highly skilled staff and has made significant recent investments in state-of-the-art equipment, including a $7 million dollar renovation completed in 2019. As a result, PMC is home to one of the most advanced in-hospital laboratories in Kentucky.
The PMC laboratory is a multidisciplinary facility consisting of six specialized departments: blood bank, chemistry, hematology/coagulation, pathology, microbiology and urinalysis. Collectively, the laboratory at PMC spans an impressive 18,050 square feet and is driven by 83 staff members, comprised of pathologists, histology technicians, certified phlebotomists, laboratory assistants, medical lab technicians and medical lab scientists.
The volume of work completed inside the PMC laboratory is impressive, with over 3.5 million tests performed each year of many different types. A key component that makes that volume possible is the state-of-the-art Aptio Automation system, a specimen processing line that has the capability of transporting and processing up to 300 tubes per hour. This impressive technology ensures fast and consistent sample handling, processing and sorting without sacrificing reliability.
In addition, the Aptio system is equipped with a refrigerated specimen storage module, capable of storing 10,000 samples, which can eliminate the need for additional needle sticks when a physician orders additional tests.
Another advanced piece of technology that has further increased the capabilities of the lab is the MALDI-TOF. Simply put, this equipment can rapidly identify certain microorganisms in a fraction of the time it has taken in the past. When it comes to matters relating to a patient’s health, speed and reliability within the laboratory can provide better patient prognosis and treatment, decrease length of stay and reduce risks to the patient.
To learn more about the PMC Laboratory, visit www.pmcky.org/services/laboratory-services/