Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health said Sept. 8 it is opening a lab to more than triple its current COVID-19 testing capacity.
The Reference Lab will be located in Scottsdale, Ariz., and will serve the health system's 137 hospitals.
The lab will provide results within a maximum of 36 hours for up to 70,000 tests per week,, the health system said. Test results will be incorporated into patients' EHRs.
"As the coronavirus will affect the health of our communities for the foreseeable future, we all have a role to play in increasing COVID-19 testing capacity across the U.S.," said Karen Smith, system vice president of laboratory services. "By supporting CommonSpirit's acute and ambulatory care sites with expanded testing, we can free up hospital capacity for critically ill patients and provide greater peace of mind to patients waiting for their results."
Read the full news release here.