It’s estimated that over 70
percent of treatment decisions by physicians are based on the results of
laboratory diagnostic tests. Montefiore operates one of the busiest clinical
pathology services in the nation. In 1997, we established the Pathology Service
Line to expedite the delivery of diagnostic testing at Montefiore for our
patients across the Montefiore network, which includes hospitals, clinics, doctors’
offices, schools and other community-based healthcare venues.
Over the past twenty years we
have standardized services and developed diagnostic assays to meet the needs of
both longstanding and new clinical programs—from routine physicals and newborn
care to cancer treatment and organ transplants. As a result of these efforts, our
pathology professionals have become integrated into healthcare teams across
Montefiore’s spectrum of care.
Pathology’s clinical laboratories
perform more than 10 million diagnostic tests per year. These assays are carried
out in large, sophisticated specialty laboratories based mainly on Montefiore’s
Moses Campus; in rapid-response laboratories on our Weiler and Wakefield
campuses and affiliated clinical facilities; and at over 200 point-of-care
sites. They are conducted by a professional staff of over 50
pathologists
and 20
highly trained laboratory administrators who oversee a technical staff of 700 FTEs.
In keeping with the
humanistic values and clinical excellence for which Montefiore and Albert
Einstein College of Medicine are renowned, our Pathology Department
collaborates with clinicians across the Montefiore network and the wider medical
community to deliver highly skilled, compassionate healthcare to individuals
and families in underserved communities in the Bronx and beyond.
We accomplish this goal via
our network of state-of-the-art Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Laboratories based
on our Moses, Wakefield, Weiler, Westchester Square and Hutchinson campuses.
They represent the following areas of Pathology laboratory medicine:
- Autopsy
- Clinical Chemistry
- Cytogenetics and Genomics
- Clinical Cytology
- Flow Cytometry
- Hematology and Coagulation
- Microbiology
- Molecular Genetics
- Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banking
- Point of Care
- Surgical Pathology
- Virology
Our clinical laboratory
professionals focus on optimal test management through:
Comprehensive Test Menu
Our laboratories provide an
extensive testing menu that’s continually updated with innovative diagnostic tests.
Our laboratory directors and supervisors keep abreast of the latest tests and
technologies so that we can provide our clinical colleagues with the
information they need to make the best healthcare decisions on behalf of their patients.
Accuracy
and Timeliness of Results
Our clinical laboratory teams
work hard to maintain strict and extensive regulatory testing standards set
forth by accreditation and regulatory agencies such as the College of American
Pathologists, the Joint Commission, the New York State Department of Health,
and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and many others, to ensure that clinicians
receive test results they can trust. Our efforts to provide a seamless
electronic interface from instrument to electronic medical record enable us to
deliver results promptly, allowing clincians to make important healthcare
decisions for their patients without unnecessary delays.
Support for Clinicians
Our Pathology
Customer Service team helps facilitate
the process of laboratory testing for our clinical colleagues. From ordering
tests to interpreting test results, Pathology Customer Service is available day
and night to help ensure the best possible health outcomes for patients. This operational feature sets us apart from most
hospital-based diagnostic laboratories.
Our pathologists and clinical laboratory staff are always available to consult on
complicated diagnostic questions, offer additional interpretation of test
results, and recommend additional testing, as needed.
The Pathology Service Line: Montefiore Einstein Patholology’s customer service
specialists, clinical pathologists and clinical laboratory teams support clinicians during every
stage of the diagnostic testing process
Community Outreach
The Pathology Department hosts or actively participates in a number of Montefiore Einstein community outreach programs that enable underserved patient populations to access quality healthcare services. Examples include:
- See, Test & Treat. Funded in part by the College of American Pathologists, this annual event offers free breast and cervical cancer screenings, same-day results and follow-up care to uninsured and underinsured women in the Bronx. Members of our Cytology Laboratory team and Administrative Staff volunteer their time and expertise, along with clinical colleagues from the Departments of Radiology and of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health.
- Starfish Program. Sponsored by the Montefiore Einstein Department of Medicine, this program targets people from West African communities living in the Bronx who are at risk for developing Hepatitis B. The Pathology Department’s phlebotomy team provides free diagnostic screenings.
- School Outreach. Our Pathology Department offers routine laboratory testing for students in over 30 public schools in the Bronx. Pathology Customer Service professionals interface with school personnel; our couriers pick up specimens daily and transport them to the laboratories for testing.
- ECHO Clinic. Our clinical pathology laboratories provide laboratory testing for un-insured and under-insured patients in the Bronx who receive free healthcare services at Einstein’s medical student-run, community-based health clinic.
- Telepathology. Using internet-based camera systems and virtual whole-slide imaging for examination of both gross and microscopic specimens, our pathologists provide remote/off-site diagnostic consultations on surgical and autopsy specimens with regional pathologists across the Montefiore Health System and with pathologists in other countries.