Laboratory Services
The Laboratory Services Department at New Hanover Regional Medical Center provides anatomical pathology and clinical laboratory medicine services to NHRMC, NHRMC Orthopedic Hospital and the surrounding community. The department enables healthcare professionals to accurately diagnose patients' conditions and to monitor progress while under therapy.
Scope of Services
The scope of services of the Department of Pathology and Clinical Laboratory is defined by the task or analytical workload present to the Laboratory, and by the needs of the patients as a whole and individually.
Laboratory evaluation of specimens is necessary to enable physicians caring for patients to accurately diagnose patient conditions and to monitor their progress while under therapy. Routine testing is performed in the Pathology and Clinical Laboratory, while testing requiring technology not available within the hospital network is forwarded to accredited reference laboratories approved by the medical staff. A full range of testing is available, either in hospital's Hematology, Transfusion Services, Chemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, and Anatomic Pathology departments, or at approved reference laboratories. Surgical Pathology, Cytology and Autopsy Pathology are practiced at New Hanover Regional Medical Center. The patient population served is from neonates to geriatrics.
Standards of Practice
The standard of practice for laboratory services is based on the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). This standard of practice along with accreditation and credentialing standards, regulations and staff knowledge provide the basis for formulation of policies, procedures and protocols applicable to our defined population and scope of service. The complexity of testing is waived, moderate and high complexity as defined by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act of 1988. Test results are provided in emergency, acute and routine care environments.
NHRMC and NHRMC Orthopedic Hospital Accreditations
- Accreditation by the College of American Pathologists
- Accreditation by AABB
- Credentialing and certification of technical personnel by ASCP and NCA
- Regulations; federal, state and local
