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Scotland County Health Department outlines CLIA-certified lab services and 'Labs 2 Go' walk-in testing
Summary
Lab manager Erica Hall told the Scotland County Board of Health lab is CLIA-certified, performs a range of in-house tests, and operates a walk-in 'Labs 2 Go' service with published prices and hours.
Erica Hall, lab manager at the Scotland County Health Department, described the department's laboratory services and its walk-in "Labs 2 Go" program at the June Board of Health meeting held without a quorum.
Hall said the lab is "a CLIA certified lab, and CLIA stands for clinical laboratory improvement amendments," and that CLIA inspections occur every two years. She told the board the lab conducts proficiency testing three times a year and also serves as a referee lab for the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health.
Hall listed the department's in-house testing and services as pregnancy tests; glucose tests including one-hour glucose tolerance tests; hemoglobin testing; urinalysis and urine microscopy; wet mounts; Gram stains of urethral smears; gonorrhea testing; urine drug screens for the Department of Social Services (DSS); and buccal-swab collection for paternity testing (the actual paternity testing is sent to LabCorp). She said send-out specimens commonly go to the North Carolina State Lab of Public Health and to LabCorp, and that Scotland Memorial Hospital is used occasionally when the department is closed for holidays because some specimens must be reported within 72 hours.
Hall reviewed the "Labs 2 Go" service, which she said the department began in September 2017. She said the program now offers about 120 provider-ordered tests and about 20 tests under a standing order that does not require a provider order. Hall gave examples of posted prices: a complete blood count (CBC) $9, comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) $9 and hemoglobin A1c $10, and said a single venipuncture fee of $11 is added per visit regardless of the number of blood tests; urine handling is $11. She said lab results are typically available in one to two days after collection; results may be faxed to a provider or picked up with identification, and payment is due at time of service (cash, check, debit/credit or HSA). Hall said county employees and county retirees are exempt from the venipuncture/handling fees.
Hall also described collection and pickup logistics: LabCorp pickups occur around 1 p.m. daily; North Carolina State Lab picks up specimens such as syphilis, HIV and chlamydia. She said if a result is an alert or clearly abnormal, the department calls the ordering provider to ensure timely follow-up.
Board members asked whether the lab could expand services and Hall said not at present, citing equipment and quality-control costs and insufficient client volume to make additional testing financially feasible.
Hall encouraged residents who need testing to use the service during posted hours: Monday through Thursday 8–11 a.m. and 1–4 p.m., and Fridays 8–11 a.m.
