covid.labflorida.com
New web portal is now available for all COVID-19 testing offered by LabFlorida.
COVID-19 Testing by LabFlorida
On June 13, 2020 CDC released new safety advice saying “the pandemic is not over” as states reopen. Florida has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks. Regular testing is still critical.
LabFlorida is fully equipped for SARS-CoV-2 testing both:
Viral (swab, current active infection) and
Antibody Testing (for past infection and immune
response)
Based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Based on what we know now, those at high-risk for… Continue reading
LabFlorida Now Offers Antibody Test for COVID-19
Demand for COVID-19 testing has been extraordinary and continues to escalate as the virus spreads across the United States. In response, we have worked tirelessly to make this testing accessible for those who need it most and provide test results as quickly as possible.
LabFlorida will be launching our new COVID-19 Antibody test on Monday, May 18, 2020.
Order Test Code: 2019
About SARS-CoV-2 IgG Assay
This is not a POC rapid kit test. This is a highly accurate test of intravenous blood sample processed in our lab and resulted on a Beckman Coulter instrument. Sensitivity: 100%, Specificity: 99.8%.
Providers… Continue reading
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy calls on physicians to screen for addictions
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy today released a landmark report on the country’s addiction crisis, which he says is a bigger health problem than cancer.
In the report, “Facing Addition in America,” Murthy calls for a shift in the way the country addresses substance addiction. “Addiction is a chronic but treatable brain disease that requires medical intervention, not moral judgement,” he writes.
While one in seven Americans will face substance use disorders, the report says only about 10 percent of those with addictions will receive any type of specialty treatment.
Murthy, who earlier this year wrote a letter to America’s… Continue reading
C. Diff Provides Insight Into Antibiotic Resistance and Infection Risks
Exposure to specific antibiotics is linked to the development of certain strains of antibiotic-resistant C. difficile, one of the fastest growing bacteria superbugs, according to a new study published by Stuart Johnson, MD, of Loyola University Health System (LUHS), Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) and the Hines VA Medical Hospital.
C. diff has been associated with multiple healthcare facility outbreaks and high national rates of C. difficile infection (CDI) since 2001 and now rivals Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in both frequency and severity.
Several infectious diseases, including MRSA and C. diff, have become resistant to antibiotics. As… Continue reading
Understanding Occult Blood Test
The fecal occult blood test (FOBT), aka Stool Hemoglobin or Stool Blood, is a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) that qualitatively detects human hemoglobin from blood in fecal samples. It is often referred to as FIT.
This is a useful screening aid for detecting primarily lower gastrointestinal (G.I.) disorders that may be related to iron deficiency anemia, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, polyps, adenomas, colorectal cancers or other G.I. lesions that can bleed. It is recommended for use by health professionals as part of routine physical examinations and in screening for colorectal cancer or other sources of lower G.I. bleeding.
Colorectal cancer is… Continue reading
Fasting Before Lipid Panel Unnecessary
Requiring patients to fast for 8 to 12 hours before a lipid panel blood draw is common practice, but fasting adds no clinical value and is an unnecessary burden on patients, researchers said.
Analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey III (NHANES-III) revealed no significant difference between fasting and nonfasting LDL cholesterol levels when it came to predicting all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, New York University associate professor of medicine Sripal Bangalore, MD, and colleagues wrote in Circulation.
The study is not the first to find no benefit for fasting prior to a lipid panel blood draw. Another… Continue reading
Arthritis Infographic
Arthritis affects one out of every five Americans – an estimated 52.5 million people – and is the leading cause of disability in the nation. The condition itself can make it difficult and painful to conduct even the most mundane daily tasks such as walking, climbing stairs, using a computer, or brushing your teeth. The term “arthritis” encompasses over 100 rheumatic conditions that impact the body’s joints, causing pain and inflammation to those who suffer with it.
Arthritis facts, statistics, and warning signs of this disease, as well as practical methods of treatment and exercise to stay limber and reduce… Continue reading
Cholesterol Levels Linked to Breast Cancer Risk
High cholesterol levels may increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, a large new British study reports (HealthDay News).
The findings suggest that keeping tight control over cholesterol through medication could help prevent breast cancer, said lead author Rahul Potluri, a researcher at the Aston University School of Medical Sciences in Birmingham, England.
Researchers reviewed the medical records of over 660,000 female patients in Birmingham and Manchester between 2000 and 2013, using a statistical model to study the association between high cholesterol and breast cancer.
The investigators determined that high cholesterol increases a woman’s risk of developing… Continue reading
AHCA Secretary and FALA CEO Visit LabFlorida
On July 1, 2014 we had the honor of giving a tour of LabFlorida to AHCA Secretary Elizabeth Dudek and the CEO of Florida Assisted Living Association Shaddrick A. Haston, Esq.
From left to right: Shaddrick Haston, CEO of FALA; Andrei Leonov, President/CEO of LabFlorida; Elizabeth Dudek, AHCA Secretary; and Roberto Rodriguez, VP Operations and Marketing of LabFlorida.
LabFlorida is a leading provider of diagnostic laboratory services to ALFs and home health agencies in Tampa Bay and Central Florida. As an active FALA member we are committed to enhancing the quality of healthcare for ALF residents and our patients by… Continue reading
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