The effect our laboratory at Meadville Medical Center (MMC) has on the people of this community is quite evident when given the number of tests performed there. In one recent year alone, our lab personnel performed over 1 MILLION tests of all types! The volume increases every year due to changes in research and diagnostic tests—the further the advancements in research, the more tests our technologists are asked to perform! Answers to some of our frequently asked questions can be found below.
If you are a healthcare professional looking for lab services such as test lists, instructions, and other documentation, that information can be found under professional laboratory resources.
Laboratory and Pathology Staff
Medical laboratory personnel are one of the largest groups of ancillary healthcare workers. Our laboratory is operated by approximately 67 staff members, including medical technologists, clerical staff, phlebotomists, and pathologists Dr. David W. Azar and Dr. Mushal Noor. The lab is staffed 24 hours a day by these highly trained individuals who work in various areas within the department.
Blood samples can provide information to physicians that can be obtained in no other way. The actual chemical composition of the blood and blood components can be measured to aid in prevention, treatment and management of illness or disease. According to, Eric Shaffer, manager of laboratory services at MMC: “The purpose of the lab is to provide objective information to the medical staff to be used for the diagnosis and treatment of their patient. This information can be used by physicians to complement their physical examination of the patient.”
Laboratory Areas of Service
The laboratory at MMC is made up of seven technical areas. These areas and their functions are as follows:
- Hematology
- Blood cell analysis
- Microbiology
- Growth of abnormal bacteria and fungus
- Blood Bank
- Match of donor units with patients in need of blood transfusions
- Pathology
- Diagnosis of abnormal, primarily cancerous, cells by processing tissues from surgery.
- Chemistry / Special Chemistry
- Diagnosis and treatment by using serum to analyze chemical components and enzymes.
- Serology / Immunology
- Detection of specific disease states by using antigen antibody reactions.
- Urinalysis
- Conducting chemical and microscopic exams of urine for diagnostic purposes.
Laboratory FAQs
Our laboratory services at Meadville Medical Center are dedicated to the best, most advanced services for our patients. Contact us at 814-333-5511 if you have additional questions.
Pre-test and Preparations
First we need to be sure that we have you properly identified with your information in our system. Often there are two or more people in our database with similar names. We need to take care not to bill the wrong person or put your results with the wrong person’s records. We also will confirm that your insurance information is updated in our system so we can accurately bill your insurance.
NOTE: Be sure to tell the registration clerk of all the departments you will be visiting, such as x-ray or lab. This will enable all tests and procedures done that day to be registered at the same time.
When registration records your information, they include the specific billing data needed for the particular test(s) being analyzed that day. During your next visit, your insurance information may not be different but the tests being performed are either different or another specimen of a repeated test. Our registration department must again record this specific information for correct billing.
The specimen must be registered for proper patient identification and billing purposes. We have many patients in our database with the same or similar names, and we need to take special care to correctly identify each patient. The specimen then needs to be taken to the lab to ensure it is acceptable. Occasionally the specimen is not labeled. We cannot accept a specimen that is not clearly labeled with a patient’s name and date of collection.
NOTE: Occult blood stool specimens may not be delivered by mail.
If you have any questions about how to collect a specimen or are in need of a collection container, please call our lab at 814-333-5511. We would be glad to answer your questions. Proper collection prevents the need to recollect your specimen.
NOTE: Stool specimens are not accepted in diapers.
If the test requires fasting, the number of hours required are written beside the test in parentheses.
What to Do at the Lab
You need to register before going to the lab. The specimen may be taken to the lab at the Liberty Street facility or One Vernon Place.
If both areas are closed, the specimen may be delivered to our main lab located on the ground floor in the Liberty Street facility near the D&E elevators. Remember that all specimens must be labeled with patient name and date of collection.
The Laboratory at MMC is made up of seven technical areas. These areas and their functions are as follows:
- Hematology (blood cell analysis)
- Microbiology (growth of abnormal bacteria and fungus)
- Blood Bank (match of donor units with patients in need of blood transfusions)
- Pathology (diagnosis of abnormal, primarily cancerous, cells by processing tissues from Surgery)
- Chemistry / Special Chemistry (diagnosis and treatment by using serum to analyze chemical components and enzymes)
- Serology / Immunology (detection of specific disease states by using antigen antibody reactions)
- Urinalysis (conducting chemical and microscopic exams of urines for diagnostic purposes)
Select one of our outpatient lab locations below for complete details.
Getting Lab Results
You must contact your physician for your lab results. We are normally not allowed to release the results to patients.
Because your results are confidential, they can only be released to your physician or to you personally. If you have pre-op lab orders for surgery at another facility, let us know you will be hand-delivering the results when you come to get your blood taken. We will have the results ready for you on the appointed day. If you want the results for any other reason, you must come to our lab and sign a release form. This form ensures that no unauthorized person has been given access to your test results. Results are also viewable on the Patient Portal.
MMC Laboratory Locations
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