Alverno Laboratories
Clinical Test Bulletins

November 2020 Test Bulletin

by | Nov 6, 2020 | Clinical Test Bulletins

November 2020 Test Bulletin

Dear Healthcare Provider,
The information contained here may be very important to your practice. Please take a moment to review this document.

COVID-19 IgM Antibody Testing

November 10, 2020

Alverno Laboratories will now offer qualitative COVID-19 IgM antibody testing. IgM antibodies are likely to be present in most individuals several days after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms; however, the duration of time antibodies are present post-infection is not well characterized. If a specimen is collected too early, antibody tests can yield false-negative results. Detection of IgM antibodies can be used to indicate exposure to SARS-CoV2. Individuals may still be infectious for some time after seroconversion occurs and antibodies are detectable. Molecular tests are the only tests currently recommended for the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection, and IgM status should not be used to inform infectious status.

Soft Code: COVGMA
TAT: 24 hours
Specimen Type: Serum or plasma (EDTA or Lithium Heparin)
Specimen Stability: 48 hours refrigerated

Molecular COVID-19 / Influenza A and B / RSV Panel

**COMING SOON**

Alverno Laboratories is working with both Cepheid and Abbott to offer an RT-PCR new mini-respiratory panel. This panel will detect viral RNA for COVID-19, Influenza A, Influenza B and RSV. Signs and symptoms of these infections are similar and rapid differentiation is important, especially during this SARS-CoV2 pandemic. Please see page 2 for details.

Specimen Requirements:

Specimen: Nasopharyngeal swab; nasal swab; nasal wash/aspirate; bronchial/BAL wash

Transport Media:

NP or Nasal Swab:

  • Abbott Universal Collection Kit (Item #197838) Nasal swab included
  • Universal Transport Media Kit (UTM/M4) (Item #198965) Nasal and NP swab included
  • 2 mL or 3 mL of Sterile Saline will be accepted

Nasal Aspirate or Bronchial Wash: Sterile Container

Transport Temperature: Refrigerated
Stability: 24 hours room temperature; 7 days refrigerated; 1 month frozen
Cause for Rejection: Swab not placed in transport media. Aspirate in other than sterile container (do not place in UTM).
Sputum samples.
Method: Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR)
Turnaround Time: 24 hours from receipt in laboratory
CPT Code: 87637
Soft Code: CFLUP

*CPT codes provided are for informational purposes only. Questions regarding coding should be directed to the payor.