Fast, Accurate Testing, Analysis and Results

The SMDC Clinical Laboratory operates like a finely tuned machine with all parts working together to ensure fast, accurate testing and analysis:

• Blood and tissue samples are whisked to the lab through a revolutionary pneumatic tube system from stations throughout St. Mary’s Medical Center and the Duluth Clinic. Affiliated labs in the region send us samples for testing and analysis up to four times per day.

• The SMDC Clinical Laboratory is fully automated with a futuristic robotic track system that transports, sorts, centrifuges, and stores samples with continuous high speed and efficiency.

• Samples arriving at our lab are handled on a “first-in, first-out” basis — they are not held to be run as a batch but moved forward immediately for testing.

• Processing methods used in the lab ensure fast, reliable results. These include procedures such as flow cytometry, laser-powered DNA measurement, and microscopic examination of samples by expert pathologists.

• Results are entered directly into our sophisticated medical records system and can be accessed quickly by physicians.