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Laboratory Marks 50-Year Milestone

Local executives, staff and friends of the Mid-South Division of American Esoteric Laboratories (AEL) proudly celebrated the opening of its new facility at 1701 Century Center Cove, just off Whitten Road south at I-240, doubling the size of its former quarters.

According to Toni Clinton, PhD, vice president of operations, “John Mazzei, who is president of the Mid-South Division of AEL, involved employees at all levels in the decision-making regarding the design of the building – obtaining input of individual managers and supervisors about how work needed to flow in their respective laboratories. They were also given a voice in paint and carpet color selections. Even non-technical areas like our dining area are more employee friendly.”

“We are very committed to our personnel and tried to design a facility that is conducive to productive work. We implemented the principles of lean, involving things like just-in-time inventory, designing spaces so that work flows in a logical fashion, and acquiring equipment to help reduce work-related injuries,” said Clinton. An example is the installation of an automatic de-capper which avoids the repetitive motion required by medical technologists to de-cap tubes manually. A lean design also facilitates employees’ ability to focus on the work at hand without the distraction of other procedures or materials within view.

High windows line the halls of the administrative offices, allowing light into the facility; either natural or simulated natural light is part of the design in these and laboratory areas. The result is a bright interior with large, wide open areas.

An enormous new conveyor system, custom designed for the facility, consumes a large portion of the laboratory. The new sorter was designed in-house to allow each patient’s specimen to be handled and processed individually and more efficiently than before. “Our focus has been on efficiency and customer service – our goal has been to beef up the way we deliver results to customers and also to enhance the speed at which we deliver results. We’ve made a huge investment in the infrastructure of the facility which will allow us to do that,” added Clinton.

What sets AEL apart? “We are first and foremost a regional laboratory. We focus on developing tests and services to meet our customers in everything we do… It pervades the entire organization. At heart we are a local, regional lab; the value to the medical community is that providers get local, regional service and it is delivered with world class instrumentation and technology. You can’t get that from a cookie cutter lab that is the same in California as it is in North Carolina or New York.” And next day results are offered for most tests.

Service is key to AEL. “…if there’s a specific test a physician needs that we do not perform, we have a referral testing department that will research and provide information to the physician, particularly if it’s an expensive test, to make them aware of the costs and turnaround time,” said Clinton.

Accessibility to pathologists by physicians/customers is a priority; at least two pathologists are available to provide personalized consultation or have test results explained. Michael Fred Bugg, MD, is the facility’s medical director.

In addition to routine clinical laboratory services, AEL performs mycology (molds, fungus), virology (herpes cultures, RSV cultures, and influenza), and TB testing on-site, therefore it has the required “Bio-Safety Level 3” designation.

Historically, AEL has had a focus on women’s health testing, due to a large OB-GYN physician client base. “We’ve decided to make physicians more aware of the type of women’s testing that we offer,” said Clinton, who is a reproductive physiologist by training. “We perform Pap smears, tests for HPV, STD testing, prenatal screening – the triple screen – as well as the enhanced prenatal screening with the quad markers - all reviewed by a pathologist. We also offer screening for bacterial vaginitis using molecular methods, as well as routine testing for diabetes and heart disease.”

“We provide testing which helps a clinician evaluate patients for anemia, both for iron deficiency and for other types of anemia. Essential for serving the Memphis area population, AEL offers onsite ability to screen for hemoglobinopathies, enabling physicians to differentiate between an iron deficiency and an anemia related to an abnormal hemoglobin, which requires different treatment.

Given the Greater Memphis area’s diversity and high percentage of African-Americans, the method used for Hgb A1c testing for diabetes is important, according to Clinton. “We use the method of choice – HPLC – which allows us to perform accurate testing on patients with hemoglobinopathies. If a patient is identified with a hemoglobinopathy, we can provide further studies to the physician to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of these patients.” For example, the fructosamine assay is recommended for patients with hemoglobinopathies. An estimated 14.7 percent of African-Americans 20 years or older have diabetes and many have both diabetes and sickle cell trait (NIDDK).

TB testing is done using QuantiFERON®-TB Gold test (QFT-G), requiring a blood sample rather than the traditional skin testing. This test detects latent TB as well as the disease. Though all patients cannot be skin tested, QFT-G requires a simple blood sample collected by a phlebotomist in a special tube – it’s more accurate and avoids a return visit by the patient.

As for trends, the past several years have shown several. “We’ve seen a tremendous increase in the volume growth of vitamin D testing in the past 3-4 years. Test requests have more than doubled. AEL uses the DiaSorin method – the same method used by all the clinical studies establishing reference ranges and evaluating clinical studies related to vitamin D.”

There has also been a rise in HPV testing. Clinton said AEL analyzes Pap smears and performs HPV high risk testing that can help determine if the patient is at risk for cervical cancer.

A third increase in testing relates to pain management. Physicians are ordering medication levels more frequently to determine if patients are taking their meds and also to determine what other meds they are taking.

A Division of Sonic Healthcare USA, AEL is the largest independent laboratory network in Tennessee and the Mid-South. AEL is open 24/7, performs an astounding 6 million tests per year and handles 7-8,000 patient encounters a night. Clinton indicated that, “97-98 percent of our business is actually done in this facility – we don’t send out very much.” The geographic area spans Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, a portion of Alabama, and stretches into Virginia and the tri-cities area.

Regarding the new laboratory, “We are well below capacity here and have lots of room for growth built into this facility,” said Clinton, who added that their strategic plan calls for looking 5-10 years ahead. “The new lab helps us raise our standard for service and results even higher,” said Mazzei. “From the convenient location to advanced diagnostic equipment to our experience and dedicated team, everything supports AEL’s mission.” For more information, visit ael.com

Tags:

AEL, American Esoteric Laboratories, MD, Medical Director; DiaSorin method; QuantiFERON®-TB Gold test; QFT-G, Mid-South Division Sonic Healthcare USA; John Mazzei, Mid-South Division; AEL, Mid-South Division; Toni Clinton, PhD, President, VP of Operations; Michael Fred Bugg

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