Healthwise: Lab Week

By: Stephanie Satchell - Email

Updated: Thu 1:02 PM, May 12, 2011

April 27, 2011

Throughout the week, Martha Jefferson Hospital is celebrating Lab Week. The staff works to recognize those behind the scenes at the hospital. For this week's segment of Martha Jefferson Healthwise, CBS19's Stephanie Satchell highlights the hospital's laboratory and those who work inside.

"The importance of having a lab is really beneficial to the doctor in ruling in the disease state or more importantly we're able to rule out certain disease states," said Jeff Willy, the Anatomical Pathology Director.

Lab professionals work with a variety of machines and patient samples to help doctors diagnose and prevent disease.

Willy adds that about 70 percent of all patients will have some type of lab work done during their visit.

"Most any patient that comes to the hospital has some type of lab work done, its whether you're in the ER, whether you've come as an outpatient, or an in patient, all types of patients," said Willy.

Once lab professionals move to the hospital's new location on Pantops, they will be able to do even more for patients.

"I think the biggest thing they'll notice is our ability to give them their results or physicians results in a much faster time frame," said Willy.

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