Expanding and Reconfiguring a Clinical Testing Lab
Expanding and Reconfiguring a Clinical Testing Lab
Architecture
The reconfigured spaces allow for a more efficient work flow and accommodate the sophisticated, automated equipment required to process an increasing volume of routine and complex specimen analyses.
Northwestern Medicine operates a state-of-the-art clinical testing laboratory at Central DuPage Hospital, an acute care facility with over 400 beds. HealthLab functions around the clock and must meet exacting standards for Northwestern Medicine facilities and other regional healthcare providers that depend on accurate data to provide patients with the best diagnoses and treatment.
To accommodate anticipated growth from a planned expansion at the hospital and an increase in outsourced services, LCM worked with the hospital to plan and implement an expansion of the clinical process laboratory. The reconfigured spaces allow for a more efficient work flow and accommodate the sophisticated, automated equipment required to process an increasing volume of routine and complex specimen analyses.
Areas that were expanded and relocated include:
- Chemistry
- Histology
- Cytology
- Gross section
- Blood bank
- Processing
- Intake functions
The expansion allowed the lab to increase its testing volume from 300,000 to more than 13 million specimens annually.
