Welcome to the St. Joseph's/Candler LaboratoryTest Directory!
The St. Joseph's/Candler Health System, Inc. ("SJ/C") Laboratories are clinical laboratories dedicated to providing the highest quality of services to our community, patients, and providers. The SJ/C Laboratories participate in the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Laboratory Accreditation Program and have Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certifications through the Center for Medical and Medicaid Services (CMS). The SJ/C Laboratories are full-service laboratories offering diagnostic services, pathology services, and outreach reference laboratory services.
Any questions regarding Laboratory services and testing may be directed to our Client Services Department at (912) 819-8440 or contact us by e-mail.
(Use the above Search or Browse box to find a test.)
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Laboratory Testing Updates
Serum Free Kappa/Lambda Light Chains
Effective February 12, 2024, St. Joseph’s/Candler Laboratory will be transitioning Serum Free Light Chain testing from our reference lab to Serum N Latex Free Light Chain assay by Siemens Healthineers in-house. The new in-house Siemens assay is equivalent to the assay previously used and is FDA-cleared:
- As an aid in diagnosis and monitoring of Multiple Myeloma and AL Amyloidosis
- To aid in evaluation of Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS).
This new in-house assay is based on multiple monoclonal antibodies targeting epitopes of the constant region of light chains which leads to more consistent results, compared to the previous method that only used polyclonal antisera. Although the assays are clinically comparable, absolute values obtained are not interchangeable for a given patient.
What does this mean for you and your patients?
Your patients will continue to have high quality testing from our laboratory. For new patients, there is no impact, as they will have a baseline set from the new assay.
For established patients:
- Once you receive new results utilizing the N Latex FLC assay, these will become the new baseline for your current patients.
- Numbers are Not Interchangeable with previous assay values. Once the lab transitions, please do not continue to compare new values to old results after the first re-set.
- If you have concerns about any results, please do not hesitate to reach out to the laboratory.
- Interpretation flow and sample result comparisons are available on the St. Joseph’s/Candler Laboratory Test Menu website. (Kappa/Lambda Interpretation Flow and Sample Result)
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COVID-19 PCR
Effective January 30, 2024, COVID-19 PCR is no longer offered as a standalone test and will not be an orderable test in Meditech Ambulatory.
COVID-19 PCR will continue to be available in our viral panel (Flu A/B, RSV and COVID-19 PCR). The viral panel is performed in-house with same day results. The price difference between COVID-19 PCR alone and the viral panel is minimal.
NOTE: If requested, COVID-19 PCR standalone testing can be sent to our reference lab at ARUP but will take at least 72 hours for results and is not our preferred test.
Welcome to the St. Joseph's/Candler LaboratoryTest Directory!
The St. Joseph's/Candler Health System, Inc. ("SJ/C") Laboratories are clinical laboratories dedicated to providing the highest quality of services to our community, patients, and providers. The SJ/C Laboratories participate in the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Laboratory Accreditation Program and have Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certifications through the Center for Medical and Medicaid Services (CMS). The SJ/C Laboratories are full-service laboratories offering diagnostic services, pathology services, and outreach reference laboratory services.
Any questions regarding Laboratory services and testing may be directed to our Client Services Department at (912) 819-8440 or contact us by e-mail.
(Use the above Search or Browse box to find a test.)
________________________________________________________________________________________
Laboratory Testing Updates
Serum Free Kappa/Lambda Light Chains
Effective February 12, 2024, St. Joseph’s/Candler Laboratory will be transitioning Serum Free Light Chain testing from our reference lab to Serum N Latex Free Light Chain assay by Siemens Healthineers in-house. The new in-house Siemens assay is equivalent to the assay previously used and is FDA-cleared:
- As an aid in diagnosis and monitoring of Multiple Myeloma and AL Amyloidosis
- To aid in evaluation of Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS).
This new in-house assay is based on multiple monoclonal antibodies targeting epitopes of the constant region of light chains which leads to more consistent results, compared to the previous method that only used polyclonal antisera. Although the assays are clinically comparable, absolute values obtained are not interchangeable for a given patient.
What does this mean for you and your patients?
Your patients will continue to have high quality testing from our laboratory. For new patients, there is no impact, as they will have a baseline set from the new assay.
For established patients:
- Once you receive new results utilizing the N Latex FLC assay, these will become the new baseline for your current patients.
- Numbers are Not Interchangeable with previous assay values. Once the lab transitions, please do not continue to compare new values to old results after the first re-set.
- If you have concerns about any results, please do not hesitate to reach out to the laboratory.
- Interpretation flow and sample result comparisons are available on the St. Joseph’s/Candler Laboratory Test Menu website. (Kappa/Lambda Interpretation Flow and Sample Result)
___________________________________________________________________________________________
COVID-19 PCR
Effective January 30, 2024, COVID-19 PCR is no longer offered as a standalone test and will not be an orderable test in Meditech Ambulatory.
COVID-19 PCR will continue to be available in our viral panel (Flu A/B, RSV and COVID-19 PCR). The viral panel is performed in-house with same day results. The price difference between COVID-19 PCR alone and the viral panel is minimal.
NOTE: If requested, COVID-19 PCR standalone testing can be sent to our reference lab at ARUP but will take at least 72 hours for results and is not our preferred test.
