Hospital Lab Saves Time and Travel

This article originally appeared in Be Well, a health information newsletter published for members of the Greater Marlborough community.

When William Keefe of Marlborough was receiving specialized medical treatments at a downtown Boston hospital, he needed a number of laboratory tests. At first he thought he would have to drive to Boston several times a month for his tests. After being encouraged by his granddaughter to look into having the lab work done at Marlborough Hospital to save the drive, he was pleasantly surprised to learn he would not have to drive into Boston just for lab work.

"I didn't realize I could get my blood work done locally if I was being treated in Boston," explained Mr. Keefe. "It was so easy. My doctor just faxed the order to the folks at Marlborough Hospital and I came in at my convenience. I traveled two miles instead of 35."

Whether your physician is in Boston or Central Massachusetts, patients who work or live in the Marlborough area can take advantage of the Marlborough Hospital laboratory for blood work or other laboratory tests that a physician orders as part of health care.

"The lab often receives calls from people who ask if they can have their lab work completed here at Marlborough Hospital," said Theresa Canale, MT (ASCP), Marlborough Hospital laboratory manager. "We have large employers in the area like Boston Scientific and Fidelity, who have hundreds of employees who may live on the North Shore or in Boston. They are so relieved when they learn they can run over on their lunch hour or right after work and don't have to take a half a day off for medical tests."

With state-of-the-art equipment, the Marlborough Hospital Laboratory offers services in clinical chemistry, therapeutic drug monitoring, drug screening, hematology, coagulation, urinalysis and transfusion medicine. On-site testing capabilities represent approximately 80 percent of the available services, with the remaining forwarded to UMass Memorial Health Care for processing.

The Marlborough Hospital Laboratory is located in the heart of the hospital just steps from free parking and the main entrance. No appointment is necessary for physician-ordered laboratory tests, with the exception of glucose tolerance testing.