Changes to Outpatient Lab Services at NBRHC

Beginning February 16, 2016, full laboratory services will now only be provided to patients who are receiving direct care and visiting North Bay Regional Health Centre (NBRHC) associated clinics. This means that the laboratory will no longer draw blood or collect specimens for outpatients for tests that are not performed on site.

Sue Lebeau, Director Quality & Clinical Support explains this change is part of the hospital’s efforts to remain fiscally accountable while offering timely and high quality laboratory services to physicians and their patients. “The same tests that the general public received at the hospital’s lab are also available in the community,” Lebeau explains. “The service people receive doesn’t change – just the location where you receive it.”

Full laboratory services will continue to be provided to patients receiving direct care and through hospital associated clinics through the North Bay Regional Health Centre. This includes the following patients:

• Renal
• Chemo
• Antenatal
• Anticoagulation
• Preadmission Clinic
• Outpatient Psychiatry
• Emergency Department follow up

Lebeau says for years NBRHC has provided outpatient lab services over and above that of other hospitals. “After a series of consultations with our pathologists, laboratory manager and chiefs of departments, we have determined that some hospital outpatient testing would be best performed by the community laboratories,” Lebeau explains. “These changes keep us fiscally accountable while enabling us to preserve as much as we can for our outpatients.”

It is estimated that only 25 per cent of NBRHC outpatients will be impacted by this change. Unlike the community labs, the NBRHC does not receive funding for specific tests. Community labs are already offering these tests and receive funding for them.

For more information on these changes and the types of tests the NBRHC lab completes, please visit the programs and services section of our website and look for laboratory services at www.nbrhc.on.ca under Programs and Services, Laboratory Services. Also, effective February 16, 2016, NBRHC Outpatient Laboratory hours will be Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

North Bay Community Laboratories that people can visit for testing include:

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Contact:
Lindsay Smylie Smith
NBRHC Communications Specialist
lindsay.smyliesmith@nbrhc.on.ca
705-495-7592