SUBMITTED PHOTO -- Ichor Blood Services, a private mobile lab collection service company, has plans to make serology testing available in Medicine Hat for a fee.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
A private lab with fee for service has opened in Medicine Hat.
Ichor Blood Services will be taking samples for COVID-19 tests required by certain travellers for destinations that need test results a maximum of 72 hours before arrival.
The UCP government announced last month that these tests would be offered by Dynalife, the provincial laboratory, for a fee of $150.
Mike Kuzmickas, founder and CEO of Ichor Blood Services, says his company has partnered with Dynalife to collect samples for testing in Medicine Hat.
Kuzmickas says there are still some initial hurdles to overcome before announcing the location of the local office.
A lab sample has to be in Calgary by 3 p.m. to connect with other flights and Dynalife, which means it must leave Medicine Hat before noon, said Kuzmickas.
The aim is to reduce that time frame so that samples taken in the afternoon could still reach the lab in Calgary on the same day.
“We hope to have this going soon. We are taking appointments for Dynalife essential travel in Calgary and Edmonton right now and hoping we can add Medicine Hat to that soon,” he said.
Ichor Blood Services will also provide serology tests, to determine if someone has had COVID. The cost of that test is about $195.
Ichor collects a blood sample and the actual serology testing is done at StageZero Life Sciences laboratory in Richmond, Virginia in the U.S. using FDA EUA approved tests.
StageZero initially runs a BTNX Rapid Response test on the blood sample. Negative antibody results from this initial test are more than 99 per cent accurate. The results are provided to the patient through a secure online portal.
If the initial test shows a positive on the IgG antibody, a second test is run using the Beckman Coulter Access test. If this is positive it will validate the presence of antibodies with a Positive Predictive Value of 99 per cent,
Ichor is legally allowed to offer the test for a fee because the laboratory work is being done in the U.S., said Kuzmickas.
Ichor also hopes to soon have permission to offer its services for regular lab work such as urine and blood tests ordered by your family doctor.
“I should have an agreement (for general lab service) any day that allows me to drop off general lab samples,” said Kuzmickas.
The public would then come to the local office for blood and urine samples as per a doctor’s requisition.
Ichor first talked of opening in Medicine Hat last July but subsequently found there was limited interest in Medicine Hat and expansion efforts were put on hold.
Alberta Health Services plans to issue a Request For Proposals this year to return to a private contractor for lab services across the province including Medicine Hat.
Kuzmickas says he is aware of the RFP but is currently occupied with opening the local office.
“They’re obviously fine with us playing in this space but what that looks like is still to be sorted out,” he said.
