Clinical Lab Capabilities in Perryton
Hospital department important for a number of exams and tests.
Sophisticated laboratories in small community hospitals are few and far between. Recognizing the important role that clinical labs have in hospital environments, Ochiltree General Hospital ensures that its clinical laboratory can conduct tests with fast turnarounds—helping to speed the treatment of patients.
“During emergencies, being able to provide responsive results to our doctors and patients is a top priority,” said David Smith, laboratory manager at OGH. “Our goal is to serve our medical providers in an efficient and timely manner to aid in the treatment of patients.”
According to the Medical Laboratory Observer, clinical labs provide doctors with approximately two-thirds of all objective information on a patient’s health status.
The clinical laboratory at OGH has a large test menu, including microbiology. This procedure involves the testing of bodily fluids such as blood and urine to determine the presence of bacterial infections. The results are then reported directly to an in-house database information system that medical professionals use in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
Smith says that the lab’s information system has increased the productivity of personnel. By allowing medical staff to look up test results without having to give the lab a call or wait long periods of time for medical charts to be returned, technicians can better focus on their work and ensure a speedy turnaround time for tests.
Over 90 percent of tests at the hospital are performed in-house, most within 2 hours. If the lab has to send out specimens for processing, it is generally for more-complex tests, such as those for hepatitis, TB cultures and West Nile. This process is also common at large hospitals. For more information about the clinical lab at OGH, please call 806-648-7124.
About Ochiltree General Hospital Ochiltree General Hospital provides healthcare for residents of Ochiltree County. Founded in 1967, Ochiltree General Hospital is a 25-bed healthcare facility that offers a wealth of medical services, including 24-hour emergency care, advanced radiology services (including CT scanning and MRIs), an outpatient lab, surgical services, physical rehabilitation, assisted living, CrossRoads, home health and hospice services, and more. For additional information, please visit www.ochiltreehospital.com.