Shortly after you are admitted to Deaconess Medical Center, a laboratory phlebotomist will probably take a sample of your blood so a variety of tests can be run to properly diagnose your condition.

The hospital's Laboratory and Pathology Services department performs or coordinates all blood and body fluid analyses and tissue pathology analyses on both inpatients and outpatients. The results of these analyses are used to assist the physician in his or her diagnosis.

The clinical laboratory is divided into the areas of hematology, urinalysis, blood bank, microbiology, chemistry, histology and pathology. Our lab is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP)-the "Gold Standard" Accreditation for Labs.

Each of these areas is staffed by highly trained professional medical technologists who are under the supervision of a board certified pathologist.

The lab is staffed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, to offer quality patient care. Most routine lab tests are completed within a few hours.

There are specialized tests, however, that may take 24-48 hours or longer to complete.

If you have questions about the tests being performed, we encourage you to ask your physician.

Pathology Services

During your hospital visit, your physician may perform a procedure to remove a sample of your tissue or blood. This is analyzed by a pathologist, a physician who examines tissue specimens. Although you may not have direct contact with this specially-trained consultant, the pathologist plays a crucial role in determining you diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

The Department of Pathology at Deaconess Medical Center offers a full range of diagnostic services in anatomic pathology that includes surgical pathology, autopsy pathology, cytology, cytogenetics, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. In areas of surgical pathology, gastrointestinal pathology and renal pathology are two of the busiest subspecialties, both for inpatient and external consulting work. Our pathologists are the world's experts in the pathology of bone marrow transplantation and in outcomes such as graft versus host disease and hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Pathologists at Deaconess have been at the forefront in the diagnosis and analysis of developmental abnormalities.

Laboratory Services

Deaconess Medical Center provides clinical laboratory services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our clinical laboratory stays current with the latest technology by adding new testing procedures, such as the cardiac marker Troponin I Aspirin Resistance and constantly evaluates new instrumentation. Services available include:

• Chemistry
• Hematology
• Coagulation
• Urinalysis
• Blood Bank
• Microbiology
• Immunology/Serology
• Special Chemistry

Deaconess Medical Center's laboratory is fully accredited and certified by the College of American Pathologists.

Our Staff
Our laboratory staff consists of four board-certified pathologists and
93 technical and non-technical personnel. The majority of our staff consists of registered medical technologists and a variety of
field-specific specialists. Our laboratory is staffed 24 hours per day,
7 days a week.

Our Standards
Laboratory medicine standards are maintained by quality control procedures which are used to monitor patient data. Controls and standards are an integrated portion of our laboratory tests to insure accurate results.

Our Capabilities
The laboratory offers services in both anatomic and clinical pathology. Anatomic pathology includes autopsy, bone marrow, cytology and surgical pathology services. Clinical pathology services include clinical chemistry, clinical hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, immunology, microbiology and virology.

Types of Patients
Empire Health laboratory serves patients of all ages who require laboratory procedures as ordered by their physician.

Address, Phone, Fax
The main laboratory is located on the Deaconess campus, however, laboratory specimen collection is available at the following sites:

Deaconess Medical Center
Empire Health Laboratories
800 W. 5th Avenue
Spokane, WA 99204
(509) 473-7410
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
Enter through Admitting or ER after 8:00 p.m.

Deaconess Medical Building
Empire Health Laboratories – Outpatient Draw Station
801 W. 5th Avenue, Suite #114
Spokane, WA 99204
(509) 473-7415
7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Mon – Fri)

Deaconess Health and Education Center Building
Empire Health Laboratories – Outpatient Draw Station
910 W. 5th Avenue, Suite #216
Spokane, WA 99204
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Mon – Fri)

Valley Hospital and Medical Center
Empire Health Laboratories – Hospital
12606 E. Mission
Spokane, WA 99216
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
(509) 473-5468
Enter through ER after 8:00 p.m.

Spokane Valley Patient Service Center / Quest Diagnostics
Valley Doctor’s Building
1512 N. Vercler Rd. Ste. 2
Spokane Valley, WA 99216
(509) 927-2268

Phone (509) 473-7410 for more information.