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What We Do
Technical Areas
AutoLab is a highly automated core laboratory, which performs high volume hematology, coagulation, chemistry and immunochemistry testing. Specimens are processed, aliquoted and delivered to workcells using a Roche® Clinical Laboratory Automation (CLAS) system. Common hematology and coagulation tests are performed using Sysmex® and Dade Behring® systems while chemistry and immunochemistry testing is performed on Roche P Modular® and E170 Modular® systems. Samples move continuously through the system while technologists monitor the quality of the testing. Information passes from the testing instruments to the laboratory Information and reporting system via electronic interfaces. Software and middleware programs screen test results, holding results with abnormal values or unexpected changes for the technologist to review and investigate.
| Blood Bank Services | | Top | |
The Blood Bank Services department is comprised of three sections: blood component processing, donor testing and the centralized transfusion service. Blood component processing receives the whole blood units collected by Blood Donor Services(approx 15,000 annually) and processes them into various fractions or components. These include packed red blood cells, random platelet concentrates and fresh frozen plasma. Special procedures are performed such as red cell freezing and deglycerolizing and washing of components. Blood product irradiation is performed on site as needed. The South Bend Medical Foundation can also ship autologous or directed units to other blood centers as ordered by a patient's physician.
The donor testing section performs Hepatitis, HIV, and HTLV screening by EIA technology. Each donor unit also has ABORh typing, unexpected antibody screening and syphilis testing performed. This section also performs donor and clinical testing for confirmation of HIV-1 and HTLV by western blot and for HCV by immunoblot.
The centralized transfusion service provides a wide menu of blood bank testing for inpatients at Memorial and Saint Joseph's Regional Medical Center -South Bend Campus as well as preparing products for outpatient transfusions. Blood is crossmatched, platelets are prepared and fresh frozen plasma thawed. All red cell and platelet components are pre storage leukocyte reduced.
| Blood Donor Services | | Top | |
The Blood Donor Services Department manages the collection of blood to serve the needs of the St. Joseph County community. Fifteen thousand units of blood are collected annually. Approximately 75% of the blood is collected at two facilities - the Central Blood Bank and the Edison Lakes Donor Center. The remainder comes from remote blood drives held on the premises of businesses, school, churches and community organizations.
| Chemistry, Hematology, and Immunology | | Top | |
These laboratories perform a broad variety of procedures ranging from the most common tests to esoteric assays. Some tests are very labor-intensive while others are performed at automated workcells. Many of these tests require close oversight by the skilled technologists that staff these laboratories. New test development is part of the normal routine for these laboratories as our technologists and clinical chemists work to constantly expand our testing capabilities.
Testing methodologies include Immuno-allergen testing, EIA and Immunoblot procedures, Electrophoresis, Chemiluminescence, HPLC, ICP Mass Spectrometry, Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis, IFA Microscopy, Radioimmunoassay, and Nephelometry.
Immunochemistry testing is performed using DPC Immulite®, Bayer Advia Centaur®, and Nichols Advantage® systems.
The Cytology Department performs microscopic diagnosis of cancerous and precancerous lesions in both gynecologic and non-gynecologic specimens such as spinal fluid, urine, bronchial washings and sputum. The South Bend Medical Foundation has set a new standard for women's care, performing gynecological reviews using the Thin Prep Pap test and ThinPrep Imaging System. The test offers an additional benefit enabling testing of the same specimen for other risk factors, including HPV, the primary precursor to cervical cancer. The Cytology Department processes about 500 Thin Prep samples each day. Cytotechnologists assist in the collection of fine needle aspiration specimens of various body sites.
The Histology Department is responsible for processing tissue samples from all body sites that are removed at the time of surgery. This technically advanced department uses state-of-the-art equipment for processing and staining. Special procedures performed in this department include immunoperoxidase, immunofluorescence, kidney biopsy studies, electron microscopy, and hematopathology stains.
Utilizing the latest FDA approved technologies, the Microbiology Department is able to identify infectious agents and provide physicians with a choice of antibiotic treatments for an infectious disease. Some of the technologies used are molecular methods in rapid identification procedures for bacteria. Parasites, fungus and tuberculosis are quickly identified from a wide variety of specimens. Microbiology performs extensive antibiotic testing and water analysis for the presence of bacterial contamination in tap, river, and swimming pool waters. The South Bend Medical Foundation is able to provide area community hospitals with extensive epidemiology data, which allows for "trending analysis" with respect to antibiotic resistance.
The role of Toxicology is to help establish cause and effect relationships between exposure to a drug or chemical and the toxic effects that result. The Toxicology Department performs both clinical and forensic drug testing. Forensic drug testing includes the screening and identification for a variety of drugs of abuse where there are medicolegal implications. The Foundation's Toxicology Department is one of the original ten laboratories certified by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (formerly NIDA). Utilization of specific, highly effective analytical instruments such as gas chromatograph/mass spectrometers are at the forefront of advances in this field.
Support Services
The Client Services Department acts as a resource for South Bend Medical Foundation clients. The representatives are available to answer questions and provide assistance in areas such as:- Test results
- Test availability
- Patient preparation
- Specimen requirements
- Test schedules
- Phoned test orders
- Status of tests
- Phlebotomy services
- Supply orders
The Client Services department can be reached by calling the Lab-Line:
574-236-SBMF (7263) or
800-950-SBMF (7263)
Representatives are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The South Bend Medical Foundation operates a network of couriers to transport test reports, supplies, and collected specimens. Couriers stop at hospitals, South Bend Medical Foundation outpatient centers, extended care facilities, clinics and physician offices. As a group, couriers travel almost two million miles a year throughout Indiana and Southwestern Michigan. All transport vehicles are equipped with storage containers to ensure the integrity of specimens during transport to the testing site.
Courier service can be arranged by contacting the Courier Dispatch:
574-245-7562 or
800-544-0925 x1562
| Information Systems | | Top | |
The Information Systems Department is responsible for supporting the Foundation's computer systems. The department is comprised of a 24-hour computer operations staff, a programming staff, system engineers, PC support personnel, a manager, and a technical director. The staff support system users (internal and external) print and distribute daily reports, monitor data transmissions and system performance, modify and enhance existing systems, implement new systems, and research new technology.
The Surgical Records Department is responsible for multiple tasks related to surgical, bone marrow, and autopsy reports. These tasks include combining patient histories to the current case to afford pathologists the opportunity to view any previous diagnosis that may be available for the patient. Other responsibilities for this department include entering billing codes, performing transcription for surgical, bone marrow or autopsy cases, and processing requests such as reports, slides, or paraffin blocks that will be sent to another facility.
The South Bend Medical Foundation has established and maintains a comprehensive quality assurance program that objectively and systematically monitors and evaluates the ongoing and overall quality of the total testing process.
The South Bend Medical Foundation laboratories are certified to perform tests under the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Amendments (CLIA), in addition to being certified by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the College of American Pathologists Forensic Urine Drug Testing (CAP FUDT), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA). The Foundation's Central Blood Bank is licensed by the American Association of Blood Banks and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The laboratories staffed by the Foundation at the following sites are also accredited by (1) the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO): Memorial Hospital of South Bend and Saint Joseph Medical Center Regional Medical Center, and (2) the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP): Elkhart General Hospital and The Heart Center of Indiana (application in progress).
| Clinical Testing, Regulatory Compliance and Technical Support (CTRCTS) | | Top | |
The South Bend Medical Foundation's Clinical Testing, Regulatory Compliance and Technical Support (CTRCTS) Department is responsible for ensuring continuing compliance with the state and federal government regulations and with the requirements of accrediting agencies. The CTRCTS Department subscribes to external proficiency testing programs and maintains an extensive internal proficiency testing program.
The CTRCTS Department ensures that all South Bend Medical Foundation laboratories are evaluating the effectiveness of policies and procedures; identifying and correcting problems; assuring accurate, reliable, and prompt reporting of test results; and assuring the adequacy and competency of testing personnel. The CTRCTS Department also employs a staff of biomedical engineers trained to troubleshoot, perform preventive maintenance, and repair most laboratory equipment. This helps to minimize instrument downtime and prevent costly repairs.
The South Bend Medical Foundation is dedicated to achieving compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), passed in 1996. Current activities and procedures will bring SBMF in compliance with mandated deadlines.
For information on quality assurance, contact: Renee Stopczynski
Manager, CTRCTS
Telephone: 574-234-4176 ext. 1241
Fax: 574-280-2796
Education
| Continuing Education | | Top | |
The South Bend Medical Foundation offers a variety of continuing education opportunities. Seminars, lectures, workshops, and teleconferences encompassing a diverse selection of topics are offered on a regular basis. Those of particular interest to clients are programs on technological advances, new methodologies, and procedures, laboratory reviews, safety issues, and new regulations.
Teleconferences are regularly received from the following organizations:
- American Association of Blood Banks
- American Society of Clinical Pathologists
- American Society of Cytology
- American Society for Microbiology
- Clinical Laboratory Management Association
Clients are invited to attend these teleconferences and seminars on-site and requested to register attendees with the Education Department. Teleconference materials are available for checkout, however the teleconference presenters often prohibit us from distributing teleconference program materials to third-party locations for post-conference use.
Support materials such as collection guidelines are available to our clients. A basic overview of venipuncture techniques is offered quarterly. Other topics may be available from various departments. Requests can be handled through your marketing representative. The in-service programs serve as a network to provide clients with information on new procedures and methodologies of South Bend Medical Foundation.
The C.A. Pascuzzi Library is one of the largest medical libraries in Indiana, and is open to clients of the South Bend Medical Foundation. The libraries’ Ebsco and Ovid online full text databases offer access to full text articles from peer-reviewed journals published by many of the world’s most prestigious medical publishers. An electronic collection of books is also
available at the South Bend Medical Foundation Library. The electronic databases offer extensive coverage of the important publications in medicine and complement the large print collection that the Library offers. The Library contains more than 400 paper journals with extensive years of
coverage. The Library also offers complete inter-library loan service through the National Library of Medicine’s Docline. Virtually any article is obtainable with the assistance of the library staff. Electronic literature searches and keeping up to date with access to the journals’ electronic table of contents is also available. An extensive video and teleconference collection is in the Library in addition to a PC/printer and a
VHS/DVD player with a monitor. The Library staff participate in the Indiana Health Sciences Library Association, Medical Library Association, and INCOLSA-Indiana Cooperative Library Science Association.
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