September 18, 2023

In September 2023, updates were made to several testing protocols. For HIV 1&2 Antibody/Antigen Screening, 5th generation, a full 7 mL, gold-top SST tube is now required for testing. Quest Diagnostics discontinued Complement C5 testing, effective August 14, 2023, with replacement assays to be ordered using the Uncoded Miscellaneous test code. Additionally, the room temperature stability for Androstenedione testing was shortened from 14 days to 72 hours, effective September 25, 2023. Moreover, Alverno Laboratories will now conduct molecular PCR testing for M. tuberculosis and rifampin resistance in-house using the Cepheid GeneXpert, aiming to improve turnaround time for positive acid-fast smear staining specimens.