Microbiology Specimen Collection and Handling Guide

PURPOSE:

The purpose is to establish proper protocol for the collection and transportation of patient specimens for routine microbiological testing (culture) and micro molecular testing.

PRINCIPLE:

To educate the staff of the importance of following accepted procedures when collecting and handling of specimens and body fluids for routine culture and molecular testing.

PATIENT IDENTIFICATION:

***Two patient identifiers are required on the labeled specimen container. ***

1. Patient name, medical record number or account number, date of birth and sex.

2. Requesting physician and phone number.

3. Date and time of collection.

4. Specimen type and/or site.

   **Location is not an acceptable identifier

   
   

   The patient's name and the source of specimen must be on both the requisition and the specimen. A culture is only as accurate as the method used for collection. Outside microorganisms may contaminate a specimen during each phase of handling. This can lead to misleading or erroneous results. Take care at all times to avoid contamination. Submit promptly for optimal recovery of pathogens. Submit in a sterile leak-proof container at room temperature unless otherwise specified.

   
   

   Aerobic Culture

   Fluid: Submit in a sterile tube or container, or syringe with needle removed and capped. Submit immediately to the laboratory. Swab: Submit a culture swab in transport media, COPAN eSwab or Port A Cult Media Vial. For optimal results, it should be received in the Microbiology laboratory within 24 hours after collection. Tissue: Submit in a sterile container immersed in a small amount sterile saline. Submit immediately

   
   

   
   

   Anaerobic Culture

   Be sure specimen is from suitable anaerobic sterile body site or deep body cavity. Send a culture swab immersed in transport media or fluid in syringe with air expelled and needle removed (with cap). Submit promptly for optimal recovery of pathogens. Must be received in microbiology laboratory within 24 hours of collection. Collection container should be a COPAN eSwab or Port A Cult Media Vial. For fluids, submit in a sterile container.

   
   

   Fungus Culture

   Submit specimens in sterile container. (Skin Scraping, Hair, Nails)

   
   

   Fungus Culture Other

   Submit specimens in sterile container. Swabs are acceptable but not recommended.

   
   

   Gram Stain

   Smear glass slide with specimen at time of collection and air dry. Always smear slide frosted side up. Label slide in pencil on frosted area with patient's name and source. Culture swabs and specimens submitted in sterile containers can also be submitted for gram stain. Alternately, liquid may be submitted.

   Any container can be used.

   
   

   Urine Culture

   Urine placed immediately in blue-top transport tube (Starplex boric acid preservative tube), is strongly preferred. Urine collected in a sterile container is also acceptable if refrigerated immediately after collection. Directions for proper collection: acceptable up to 72 hours after collection.

   1. Females should clean the periurethral area with water.

   2. Males should clean the glans penis area with water.

   3. Allow the initial flow of urine to commence and then collect a midstream portion into a sterile container.

   4. Store and submit sealed container refrigerated, or transfer urine immediately to a Starplex preservative tube, please note urine must be poured up to fill line and store/submit refrigerated or at room temperature. Susceptibility testing is not routinely performed on voided specimens with mixed urogenital flora or on colony counts below 50,000 CFU/mL. Unpreserved refrigerated urine must be received within 24 hours of collection. Urine grey top tubes are acceptable up to 48 hours after collection. Urine in blue topped "culture" tubes is

   Molecular Microbiology Tests Hologic Panther System

   From Cytology Media ThinPrep vial

   
   

   

   1. Chlamydia trachomatis/Neisseria gonorrhea NAAT Testing

      
      

   2. HPV High-risk testing

      
      

   3. Trichomonas vaginalis by NAAT testing

From Aptima® Multitest Swab Specimen (vaginal, Penile Meatal)

1. Chlamydia trachomatis/Neisseria gonorrhea NAAT Testing (can also perform from clinician collected throat or rectal swab)

   
   

2. Trichomonas vaginalis by NAAT testing

   
   

   

   
   

   After collection, transport and store the swab in the swab specimen transport tube at 2°C to 30°C until tested. Specimen is stable for 60 days of collection.

   
   

   From Aptima® Multitest Swab Specimen (vaginal)

   After collection, swab specimens in transport tubes can be stored at 15°C to 30°C for up to 30 days. See BV SOP for more details.

   
   

   1. APTIMA Bacterial Vaginosis Assay (NAAT test)

   2. CV/TV Assay (NAAT test)

   3. Mycoplasma genitalium Assay (NAAT test)

From Urine Samples:

From urine collected on a sterile container and transferred to Hollogic APTIMA urine media: Urine specimens in the Aptima urine tube can be stored at 2°C to 30°C, until tested. In APTIMA tube sample is stable for 30 days. If longer storage is needed, freeze the specimen transport tube at ≤ –20°C for up to 24 months.

Note: Urine samples that are still in the primary collection container must be transported to the lab at 2°C to 30°C. Transfer the urine sample into the Aptima urine specimen transport tube within 24 hours of collection. Urine must be within the two black lines on the tube, do not overfill or underfill.

1. Chlamydia trachomatis/Neisseria gonorrhea (NAAT test)

   
   

2. Mycoplasma genitalium Assay (NAAT test)

APTIMA HSV 1 & 2 Test (collection must be from ano/genital lesion)

1. Aptima® Multitest Swab Specimen, orange swab

BioFire GI Panel (stool sample in cary blair media)

• Specimens should be processed and tested with the BioFire GI Panel as soon as possible.

• If storage is required, specimens can be held:

  
  

  At room temperature for up to 4 days (15-25 °C) Refrigerated for up to 4 days (2-8 °C)

  
  

  • Dysentery

  • Diarrhea with fever, severe abdominal cramps, or signs of sepsis

  • Moderate to severe disease

  • Symptoms lasting more than seven days

  • Immunocompromised patients with diarrhea

  • Individuals at high risk of spreading disease to others and during known or suspected outbreaks.1

  • Individuals presenting with:1,11

  Note: Formed stool samples will be rejected.

  
  

  Who Should Be Tested?

  Guidelines from American College of Gastroenterology and Infectious Disease Society of America:

  
  

  
  

  • Hologic Panther System SARS-CoV-2 APTIMA Test

  • Panther Fusion Respiratory Panels

The Panther Fusion® Flu A/B/RSV assay - Qualitative detection and differentiation of influenza A virus, influenza B virus and respiratory syncytial virus

The Panther Fusion® AdV/hMPV/RV assay - Qualitative detection and differentiation of adenovirus, human metapneumovirus and rhinovirus

The Panther Fusion® Paraflu assay - Qualitative detection and differentiation of parainfluenza 1 virus, parainfluenza 2 virus, parainfluenza 3 virus and parainfluenza 4 virus

• Specimens – Clinical material collected from patient placed in an appropriate transport system. For the Aptima SARS-CoV-2 assay or Panther Fusion respiratory panels, this includes NP, nasal, midturbinate and OP swab specimens, or nasopharyngeal wash/aspirate and nasal aspirate specimen collection in viral transport medium (VTM/UTM), saline, Liquid Amies, or specimen transport medium (STM).

  
  

• Samples - Represents a more generic term to describe any material for testing on the Panther System including specimens, specimens transferred into a Panther Fusion Specimen Lysis Tube, Hologic Specimen Lysis Tube with solid cap, Custom Specimen Lysis Tube, Aptima Specimen TransferTube, Aptima Multitest Transport Tubes, and controls.

  
  

  Swab Specimen Collection

• Collect NP swab, nasal swab, and OP swab specimens according to standard technique using a polyester-, rayon-, or nylon-tipped swab. Immediately place the swab specimen into 3mL of VTM or UTM.

  
  

• Swab specimens may alternatively be added to saline, Liquid Amies or STM. The Aptima Multitest Swab Specimen Collection Kit may be used for the collection of OP and nasal swab samples.

• After collection, specimens collected in VTM/UTM can be stored at 2°C to 8°C up to 96 hours before transferring to the Specimen Lysis Tube (i.e., Panther Fusion Specimen Lysis Tube, Hologic Specimen Lysis Tube with solid cap, or Custom Specimen Lysis Tube) or Aptima Specimen Transfer Tube as described in the specimen processing section below.

• Remaining specimen volumes in VTM/UTM can be stored at ≤-70°C.

  
  

  The following types of VTM/UTM can be used:

• Remel MicroTest M4, M4RT, M5 or M6 formulations

• Copan Universal TransportMedium

• BD Universal Viral TransportMedium

Note: Do not use medium that may contain Guanidium thiocyanate or any guanidine- containing material.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

Effective Date: 09/10/2020

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

If you have any questions about this Notice of Privacy Practices (‘Notice’), please contact: Privacy Officer

Phone Number: 352-460-0292 (EXT 509)

Section A: Who Will Follow This Notice?

This Notice describes Mid Florida pathology (hereafter referred to as ‘Provider’) Privacy Practices and that of:

Any workforce member authorized to create medical information referred to as Protected Health Information (PHI) which may be used for purposes such as Treatment, Payment and Healthcare Operations. These workforce members may include:

• All departments and units of the
• Any member of a volunteer group.
• All employees, staff and other Provider
• Any entity providing services under the Provider's direction and control will follow the terms of this In addition, these entities, sites and locations may share medical information with each other for Treatment, Payment or Healthcare Operational purposes described in this Notice.

Section B: Our Pledge Regarding Medical Information

We understand that medical information about you and your health is personal. We are committed to protecting medical information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive at the Provider. We need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This Notice applies to all of the records of your care generated or maintained by the Provider, whether made by Provider personnel or your personal doctor.

This Notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose medical information about you. We also describe your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of medical information.

We are required by law to:

• Make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private;
• Give you this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to medical information about you; and
• Follow the terms of the Notice that is currently in effect

Section C: How We May Use and Disclose Medical Information About You

The following categories describe different ways that we use and disclose medical information. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

• We may use medical information about you to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose medical information about you to doctors, nurses, technicians, health care students, or other Provider personnel who are involved in taking care of you at the Provider. For example, a doctor treating you for a broken leg may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. In addition, the doctor may need to tell the dietitian if you have diabetes so that we can arrange for appropriate meals. Different departments of the Provider also may share medical information about you in order to coordinate different items, such as prescriptions, lab work and x-rays. We also may disclose medical information about you to people outside the Provider who may be involved in your medical care after you leave the Provider.

• We may use and disclose medical information about you so that the treatment and services you receive at the Provider may be billed and payment may be collected from you, an insurance company or a third party. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about surgery you received at the Provider so your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the procedure. We may also tell your health plan about a prescribed treatment to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.

• Healthcare We may use and disclose medical information about you for Provider operations. These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the Provider and make sure that all of our patients receive quality care. For example, we may use medical information to review our treatment and services and to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you. We may also combine medical information about many Provider patients to decide what additional services the Provider should offer, what services are not needed, and whether certain new treatments are effective. We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, health care students, and other Provider personnel for review and learning purposes. We may also combine the medical information we have with medical information from other Providers to compare how we are doing and see where we can make improvements in the care and services we offer. We may remove information that identifies you from this set of medical information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without learning a patient's identity.

• Appointment We may use and disclose medical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at the Provider.

• Treatment We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.

• Health-Related Benefits and We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.

Fundraising Activities. We may use information about you to contact you in an effort to raise money for the Provider and its operations. We may disclose information to a foundation related 

to the Provider so that the foundation may contact you about raising money for the Provider. We only would release contact information, such as your name, address and phone number and the dates you received treatment or services at the Provider. If you do not want the Provider to contact you for fundraising efforts, you must notify us in writing and you will be given the opportunity to ‘Opt-out’ of these communications.

·         Authorizations Required

We will not use your protected health information for any purposes not specifically allowed by Federal or State laws or regulations without your written authorization; this includes uses of your PHI for marketing or sales activities.

• We may use or disclose your medical information if you need emergency treatment or if we are required by law to treat you but are unable to obtain your consent. If this happens, we will try to obtain your consent as soon as we reasonably can after we treat you.

·         Psychotherapy Notes

Psychotherapy notes are accorded strict protections under several laws and regulations. Therefore, we will disclosure psychotherapy notes only upon your written authorization with limited exceptions.

• Communication We may use and disclose your health information if we are unable to obtain your consent because of substantial communication barriers, and we believe you would want us to treat you if we could communicate with you.

• Provider We may include certain limited information about you in the Provider directory while you are a patient at the Provider. This information may include your name, location in the Provider, your general condition (e.g., fair, stable, etc.) and your religious affiliation. The directory information, except for your religious affiliation, may also be released to people who ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation may be given to a member of the clergy, such as a priest or rabbi, even if they do not ask for you by name. This is so your family, friends and clergy can visit you in the Provider and generally know how you are doing.

• Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care. We may release medical information about you to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care and we may also give information to someone who helps pay for your care, unless you object in writing and ask us not to provide this information to specific In addition, we may disclose medical information about you to an entity assisting in a disaster relief effort so that your family can be notified about your condition, status and location.

• Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose medical information about you for research purposes. For example, a research project may involve comparing the health and recovery of all patients who received one medication to those who received another, for the same condition. All research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. This process evaluates a proposed research project and its use of medical information, trying to balance the research needs with patients' need for privacy of their medical information. Before we use or disclose medical information for research, the project will have been approved through this research approval process, but we may, however, disclose medical information about you to people preparing to conduct a research project, for example, to help them look for patients with specific medical needs, so long as the medical information they review does not leave the Provider. We will almost always generally ask for your specific permission if the researcher will 

  have access to your name, address or other information that reveals who you are, or will be involved in your care at the Provider.

   

  • As Required By We will disclose medical information about you when required to do so by federal, state or local law.

   

  • To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or We may use and disclose medical information about you when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health and safety or the health and safety of the public or another person. Any disclosure, however, would only be to someone able to help prevent the threat.

   

  ·         E-mail Use.

  E-mail will only be used following this Organization’s current policies and practices and with your permission. The use of secured, encrypted e-mail is encouraged.

   

  Section D: Special Situations

   

  • Organ and Tissue If you are an organ donor, we may release medical information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ, eye or tissue transplantation or to an organ donation bank, as necessary to facilitate organ or tissue donation and transplantation.

   

  • Military and If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release medical information about you as required by military command authorities. We may also release medical information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.

   

  • Workers' Compensation. We may release medical information about you for workers' compensation or similar programs.

   

  • Public Health We may disclose medical information about you for public health activities. These activities generally include the following:
    • to prevent or control disease, injury or disability;
    • to report births and deaths;
    • to report child abuse or neglect;
    • to report reactions to medications or problems with products;
    • to notify people of recalls of products they may be using;
    • to notify a person who may have been exposed to a disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a disease or condition; and
    • to notify the appropriate government authority if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic We will only make this disclosure if you agree or when required or authorized by law.

   

  • Health Oversight We may disclose medical information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law. These oversight activities include, for example, audits, investigations, inspections, and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.

   

  • Lawsuits and If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose medical information about you in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose medical information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
  • • Law We may release medical information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:
      • in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process;
      • to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;
      • about the victim of a crime if, under certain limited circumstances, we are unable to obtain the person's agreement;
      • about a death we believe may be the result of criminal conduct;
      • about criminal conduct at the Provider; and
      • in emergency circumstances, to report a crime; the location of the crime or victims; or the identity, description or location of the person who committed the

     

    • Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors. We may release medical information to a coroner or medical This may be necessary, for example, to identify a deceased person or determine the cause of death. We may also release medical information about patients of the Provider to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.

     

    • National Security and Intelligence We may release medical information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.

     

    • Protective Services for the President and We may disclose medical information about you to authorized federal officials so they may provide protection to the President, other authorized persons or foreign heads of state or conduct special investigations.

     

    • If you are an inmate of a correctional institution or under the custody of a law enforcement official, we may release medical information about you to the correctional institution or law enforcement official. This release would be necessary for the institution to provide you with health care, to protect your health and safety or the health and safety of others, or for the safety and security of the correctional institution.

     

    Section E: Your Rights Regarding Medical Information About You

     

    You have the following rights regarding medical information we maintain about you:

     

    • Right to Access, Inspect and You have the right to timely access to inspect, receive copies of and direct copies be sent to third parties of the medical information that may be used to make decisions about your care, with a few exceptions. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but may not include psychotherapy notes. If you request a copy of the information, we may charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies associated with your request.

     

    • We may deny your request to inspect, receive or direct copies be sent of your medical information in certain very limited If you are denied access to medical information, in some cases, you may request that the denial be reviewed. Another licensed health care professional chosen by the Provider will review your request and the denial. The person conducting the review will not be the person who denied your request. We will comply with the outcome of the review.

     

    • Right to If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend the information. You have the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept by or for the Provider. In addition, you must provide a reason that supports your request.
    • • We may deny your request for an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the In addition, we may deny your request if you ask us to amend information that:
        • Was not created by us, unless the person or entity that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment;
        • Is not part of the medical information kept by or for the Provider;
        • Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect and copy; or
        • Is accurate and

       

      • Right to an Accounting of Disclosures. You have the right to request an ‘Accounting of Disclosures’. This is a list of the disclosures we made of medical information about Your request must state a time period which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before April 14, 2003. Your request should indicate in what form you want the accounting (for example, on paper or electronically, if available). The first accounting you request within a 12 month period will be complimentary. For additional lists, we may charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before any costs are incurred.

       

      • Right to Request You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the medical information we use or disclose about you for payment or healthcare operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care, like a family member or friend. For example, you could ask that we not use or disclose information about a surgery you had. In your request, you must tell us what information you want to limit, whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both, and to whom you want the limits to apply (for example, disclosures to your spouse). We are not required to agree to these types of request. We will not comply with any requests to restrict use or access of your medical information for treatment purposes.

       

      You also have the right to restrict use and disclosure of your medical information about a service or item for which you have paid out of pocket, for payment (i.e. health plans) and operational (but not treatment) purposes, if you have completely paid your bill for this item or service. We will not accept your request for this type of restriction until you have completely paid your bill (zero balance) for this item or service. We are not required to notify other healthcare providers of these restrictions, that is your responsibility.

       

      • Right to Receive Notice of a We are required to notify you by first class mail or by email (if you have indicated a preference to receive information by email), of any breaches of Unsecured Protected Health Information as soon as possible, but in any event, no later than 60 days following the discovery of the breach. “Unsecured Protected Health Information” is information that is not secured through the use of a technology or methodology identified by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to render the Protected Health Information unusable, unreadable, and undecipherable to unauthorized users. The notice is required to include the following information:

       

      • a brief description of the breach, including the date of the breach and the date of its discovery, if known;
      • a description of the type of Unsecured Protected Health Information involved in the breach;
      • steps you should take to protect yourself from potential harm resulting from the breach;
      • • a brief description of actions we are taking to investigate the breach, mitigate losses, and protect against further breaches;
        • contact information, including a toll-free telephone number, e-mail address, Web site or postal address to permit you to ask questions or obtain additional

         

        In the event the breach involves 10 or more patients whose contact information is out of date we will post a notice of the breach on the home page of our website or in a major print or broadcast media. If the breach involves more than 500 patients in the state or jurisdiction, we will send notices to prominent media outlets. If the breach involves more than 500 patients, we are required to immediately notify the Secretary. We also are required to submit an annual report to the Secretary of a breach that involved less than 500 patients during the year and will maintain a written log of breaches involving less than 500 patients.

         

        • Right to Request Confidential You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location. For example, you can ask that we only contact you at work or hard copy or e-mail. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your request must specify how or where you wish to be contacted.

         

        • Right to a Paper Copy of This You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice. You may ask us to give you a copy of this Notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this Notice. You may obtain a copy of this Notice at our website. https://www.midfloridapathology.com

         

        To exercise the above rights, please contact the individual listed at the top of this Notice to obtain a copy of the relevant form you will need to complete to make your request.

         

        Section F: Changes to This Notice

         

        We reserve the right to change this Notice. We reserve the right to make the revised or changed Notice effective for medical information we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current Notice. The Notice will contain on the first page, in the top right hand corner, the effective date. In addition, each time you register at or are admitted to the Provider for treatment or health care services as an inpatient or outpatient, we will offer you a copy of the current Notice in effect.

         

        Section G: Complaints

         

        If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Provider or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services; http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/index.html

         

        To file a complaint with the Provider, contact the individual listed on the first page of this Notice. All complaints must be submitted in writing. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

         

        Section H: Other Uses of Medical Information

         

        Other uses and disclosures of medical information not covered by this Notice or the laws that apply to us will be made only with your written permission. If you provide us permission to use or disclose medical information about you, you may revoke that permission, in writing, at any time. If you revoke your permission, we will no longer use or disclose medical information about you for the reasons covered by 

        your written authorization. You understand that we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission, and that we are required to retain our records of the care that we provided to you.

         

        Section I: Organized Healthcare Arrangement

         

        The Provider, the independent contractor members of its Medical Staff (including your physician), and other healthcare providers affiliated with the Provider have agreed, as permitted by law, to share your health information among themselves for purposes of treatment, payment or health care operations. This enables us to better address your healthcare needs.

         

        Revision Date: March 03, 2013, to be compliant with HIPAA Omnibus Privacy Rules. Original Effective Date: April 14, 2003.

Mid-Florida Pathology offers comprehensive diagnostic services in the evaluation of podiatric disorders related to nail, bone, skin and soft tissue and ranging from routine to extremely difficult cases. Our team of board-certified dermatopathologists have expert training in podiatric skin, bone and soft tissue pathology and utilize the latest advances in immunohistochemistry and special stains. Mid-Florida Pathology provides a comprehensive evaluation of neoplastic, inflammatory, and infectious conditions of the foot, ankle and lower leg. Podiatric-specific requisitions, PAS stains, fungal cultures and biopsy testing as well as on-site advanced diagnostics.

Test Menu:
• Skin Neoplasms
• Subcuteneous masses
• Skin eruptions
• Superficial infections
• Fungal infections
• Non infectious skin diseases
• Aerobic Culture & ID Susceptibility
• Anaerobic Culture & ID
• Gram Stain
• Fungal Culture
• FNA- Ganglion Cyst, benign and malignant neoplasms
• Gout Study
• Bone-Osteomylitis, benign and malignant neoplasms