Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks

Not many people like to have their blood drawn. However, at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks we are dedicated to making your visit to the laboratory as quick, easy, and comfortable as possible. The lab’s number one priority is you, the patient.

Patient privacy is central to the design of the new patient lab area of the clinical addition, which is scheduled to open in early 2013. Features of the new area include:

• Private stalls for blood draws and other tests
  • Two are specifically designed for patients in wheelchairs
  • Two have reclining chairs in case you start to not feel well
  • Convenient one-on-one care from the staff, i.e. more personal attention
• Five single stall bathrooms for urinalysis

Privacy isn’t the only enhancement. So is convenience. The new lab is located close to the front of the clinical addition, and includes a spacious waiting area and check-in desk.

A pneumatic tube system transports specimens from the draw area directly to the testing area. Currently, specimens are submitted to the lab in batches. With the new system, the lag time between the lab draw and testing is eliminated.

Overall, the lab is tripling in size, to nearly 21,000 square feet. The larger lab provides space for additional in-house test equipment, like a vitamin D analyzer. The analyzer eliminates the need to ship 6000-7000 specimens annually to Shreveport, Louisiana for testing; thus saving time, energy, and resources.

By Sarah Mcbride, Program Analyst