Laboratory Services
Seattle Children's Department of Laboratories provides cutting-edge laboratory and pathology services for pediatric patients in the Pacific Northwest and outside our region. The laboratory offers many specialized tests designed to address unique pediatric diseases.
Procedures have been specially adapted or developed for the pediatric patient. Reference ranges are age-appropriate, reflecting the influence of growth and development.
We provide services at our main campus in Seattle and at Seattle Children's Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center.
Use our online test catalog to find specific information about lab tests including test collection information, processing instructions, turnaround time, reference ranges and more.
We also offer consultation in test selection and result interpretation. The pathologist, doctoral scientist and technologist staff are always available.
Seattle Children's Respiratory Infection Epidemiology Data
Laboratory Team
- Michael Lee Astion, MD, PhD, medical director
- Gail Deutsch, MD, anatomical pathologist
- Jane Dickerson, PhD, co-director, Chemistry
- Laura S. Finn, MD, program chief, Flow Cytometry and Laboratory Medicine/Pathology Residency Programs
- Sihoun Hahn, MD, PhD, director, Biochemical Genetics
- Rhona Jack, PhD, division head, Clinical Chemistry; associate director, Biochemical Genetics Laboratory
- Raj P. Kapur, MD, PhD, program chief, Perinatal Autopsy
- Kent Opheim, PhD, division head, Cytogenetics
- Kathleen Patterson, MD, division head, Anatomic Pathology
- Joe Rutledge, MD, pathologist
- Xuan Qin, PhD, division head, Microbiology
- Joseph Siebert, PhD, program chief, Autopsy Services
- Karen Tsuchiya, MD, director, Molecular Genetics Laboratory; co-director, Cytogenetics
- Min Xu, MD, PhD, director, Core Laboratory
Accreditation/Licensure
Referring Patients for Laboratory Testing
The laboratory performs testing based on requests from persons authorized by law to write laboratory test orders (i.e., physicians, PAs and ARNPs).
The laboratory utilizes consistent procedures to ensure appropriate order and specimen receipt, identification, assessment, test order accessioning and accurate billing.
Community providers must provide written orders via a laboratory requisition or a prescription form. Paper orders for laboratory testing will contain the following elements for acceptance:
- Name and address (if outside of Children's) of physician or legally authorized person ordering the test
- Patient identification utilizing at least two unique identifiers (full name and medical record number or date of birth)
- Patient sex, when appropriate
- Patient date of birth, when appropriate
- Orders for specific laboratory tests
- Time and date of collection, when appropriate
- Source of specimen, when appropriate
- Clinical information, when appropriate
- Medical necessity (ICD-9 codes/ diagnosis description) – required
All unclear, vague or illegible orders will be clarified with the ordering provider before acceptance.
If the medical necessity information is absent from the initial written orders, the laboratory will utilize a "fax-back" system including a REQUEST FOR ICD-9 form to clarify orders and/or obtain required information.
If the "add on" phone order is received from a community physician, the form will be "faxed back" for signature and medical necessity information. Phoned orders will be transcribed and read back to verify accuracy.