Community-Based Lab Services For Patients’ Convenience

Premier Health, in partnership with locally based CompuNet Clinical Laboratories, provides essential laboratory services to aid in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Southwest Ohio residents benefit from this local arrangement by accessing testing close to home and receiving timely results.

CompuNet’s flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, FISH, and molecular departments test for lymphomas, leukemias, and solid organ malignancies. Working with CompuNet, Valley Pathologists offer extensive pathology interpretation on all testing related to cancer diagnosis and treatment. Because testing is performed locally, test results can be delivered more quickly, benefiting patients who anxiously await their diagnosis and enabling them to receive personalized disease management.

Pathology accomplishments in 2021 included:

• Improved breast biopsy specimen turnaround time: In 2021, CompuNet established a turnaround goal of 2.5 business days for returning breast biopsy specimen results to providers with initial findings. Actualized average turnaround was 2.88 days, with continued improvement towards goal. The short turnaround time allows faster treatment plans to be developed and reduces patient anxiety while waiting for test results.
• Laboratory testing in oncology/hematology offices: “Rapid response labs” are staffed in oncology/hematology physician offices to expedite testing. Phlebotomists and medical lab technologists use nationally accredited procedures and equipment to draw blood and process tests during a patient’s appointment. Having patient test results available while the patient is in the office can aid the clinician in determining if any treatment plan modifications are required.
• Next-generation sequencing: Planning in 2021 paved the way for next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to be offered by CompuNet in early 2022, with the support of Atef Shrit, MD, chairperson, CompuNet Clinical Laboratories, and president, Valley Pathologists. NGS can determine the sequence of DNA or RNA to study genetic variation. It will aid in targeting specific gene mutations associated with different cancers. NGS has revolutionized genomic research by sequencing many DNA strands at the same time and completing an entire human genome study in a day. By contrast, previous sequencing technology could take up to a decade. Genomic sequencing is key to providing oncologists a targeted view of the cancer tumor type to provide a more personalized approach to treatment.