A reference lab is a lab that performs high-volume testing on samples for other labs, hospitals, and physicians. Reference labs essentially act as third-party testing facilities for hospitals and other facilities when they are inaccessible or unusable due to an emergency, natural disaster, or simply get backed up on processing samples and need help. A reference lab also must be CLIA certified in order to handle the human specimens.
Reference Lab Partnership
What is a Reference Lab?
How Do Reference Labs Work?
Samples from labs or hospitals facing temporary closures are sent to the chosen reference lab to have tests run on the sample. This is also known as referral testing. These reference labs act as a back-up to help other facilities if they’re either unable to keep up with test demand or if there happens to be an emergency forcing them to close. This helps to prevent any delays in processing the samples and ensures patients get their results, regardless of any disaster or equipment failure.
Overall, reference labs are designed to handle testing for other facilities when needed to keep up with demand. This typically involves high-volume testing when laboratories begin to fall behind on processing as well as upholding all CLIA standards and practices.
How Does a Reference Lab Help?
Many laboratories have come across one huge problem when it comes to coronavirus testing. They just don’t have enough manpower and time for the sheer amount of COVID samples that are being sent to them, creating a buildup of samples that need to be tested. People want their tests results back as quickly as possible to know if they are clear of the virus or if they need to quarantine. With such a large backlog of samples, many labs and hospitals are experiencing multi-day delays in results for COVID tests.
In order to help combat this, many labs and hospitals are turning to reference labs for help. These labs can send their excess COVID samples out to a reference lab to have them analyzed. This helps to not only alleviate the pressure on those working in that facility but also ensures that the samples are still being processed correctly and accurately.
Having Nexsun as a Reference Lab
When it comes to COVID testing, Nexsun Labs is the best choice when it comes to accuracy and turnaround time. Since we’re a dedicated COVID-19 testing lab we’re able to process samples and get results back to you faster than most labs could dream of.
Don’t make your patients wait for their results. Partner with Nexsun as your reference lab so you get the peace of mind knowing your samples are accurately and quickly processed.
