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Montana Laboratory Sentinel
Updates from the MT Laboratory Services Bureau
Phone: 800-821-7284 Fax: 406-444-1802
Lab Website
Lab Manual
(Please reference this for testing or submission questions.)
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MT PHL Employee Highlight:
Michelle Mozer is the Supervisor of Microbiology and Molecular Biology. She has been with MT PHL for 10 years. She finds great fulfilment working with people throughout the state and on a national level. Outside of work, Michelle is deeply committed to her two kids and husband. She loves adventuring in the mountains and cheering on her kids from the sidelines.
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News and Updates
Financial
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Online Payments
- Online payments now require an account to be created before payment can be made. If you do not want to create an account to pay your invoice online please reach out to our billing office at 406-444-2642 to pay your invoice. Credit/Debit card information will be required over the phone as well as phone number, billing address and an email address to send the receipt to. Remember a small fee is charged for paying with a credit/debit card. If you decide not to pay invoices with a credit/debit card we are still accepting payment by check and that can be mailed to:
- DPHHS – Laboratory
PO Box 4369
1400 Broadway Room B206
Helena, MT 59604-4369
Specimen conditions
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Specimen Submission Reminders:
- CLIA requires MTPHL to verify two(2) matching unique identifiers on each specimen and its requisition to accept it. Please make sure samples submitted have two matching unique identifiers on the specimen label and requisition.
- The label must be affixed to the specimen and not in the pocket of the transport bag.
- If your facility does not have the patient's DOB on the specimen labels, your specimen ID number or the patient's MRN which is printed on your label must be added to the requisition.
- Please be aware, if your label tends to cut off the DOB when printed, we cannot read it and we need one of the alternate identifiers on the requisition.
- Please print out each specimen's Lab Portal requisition and include it in the pocket of the transport bag.
New Providers
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NEW FUNCTIONALITY- Facilities can now add new providers to the portal!
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Starting on October 1st, 2024, "..laboratory" will no longer be available for an ordering provider. Instead, facilities will now be allowed to add external providers. In order to add external providers the person entering the order will need to have the providers first name, last name, and NPI number. All facilities have the NPI numbers of the providers. If you need help finding that number here is a link to the NPI registry.
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Here is a quick guide to this new process.
IT Corner
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Single-sign on via OKTA
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The State of Montana is starting to require all state-owned systems use single sign-on authentication via OKTA. MTPHL plans to implement this next year for the lab portal. This means all users will need to create an OKTA account with the State if they don’t already have one. Some users may already have an account if they access other state systems or have used the state’s secure e-mail delivery service (previously known as Epass). Once they have an OKTA account, users can sign in to any state system that uses OKTA authentication with their OKTA credentials. The new user request process will also move online when the portal transitions to single sign-on. More information will be provided about this in the coming months. If you’d like to get a head start by signing up for an OKTA account, you can visit the following link:
Molecular
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Respiratory Surveillance
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To encourage surveillance sample submission to MTPHL for surveillance season, APHL has offered an exciting incentive. Your laboratory could win a $50 gift card for submitting your flu and covid positive samples.
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Receiving positive covid and influenza specimens to Montana Public Health Lab (MTPHL) for surveillance testing is important in determining the circulating strains and prevalence in Montana. MTPHL also shares these specimens with the Centers for Disease Control for further characterization and testing for antiviral resistance.
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We need your samples! Fourteen (14) hospital laboratories have been geographically selected to submit two (2) specimens per week for fee-waived surveillance testing, even if they have been confirmed by molecular methods in-house. In addition, five (5) fee-waived tests are also being offered to thirty- three (33) additional clinical laboratories from various geographic locations to be used at their discretion. These fee-waived tests should be used to confirm the presence of circulating influenza virus in their patient population.
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When submitting specimens for testing to the MTPHL, please do not submit specimens that are the residual from rapid tests. Specimens must be collected into universal or viral transport media and shipped in a cold condition. Please use the online portal for ordering your surveillance test request. The designated surveillance laboratories should have already received information on submission process. If you have any questions, please contact MTPHL at 1-800-821-7284.
Packaging and Shipping
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Save the Date!!
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Over the next couple of months, MTPHL will host the final two packaging and shipping courses of the year. The first is an in-person training held in the Cogswell building, 1400 East Broadway in Helena on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. The second is a virtual training scheduled for Wednesday, December 11th.
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Both sessions will begin at 8:30 AM and are scheduled to end at 4:30. Recipients will receive materials to bring back to their facilities, including a booklet, helpful job aids, a USB drive with electronic copies of all materials, fresh Category A shippers, and seven hours of P.A.C.E. credit!!
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If you have anyone whose certification is expiring or who has yet to be trained in how to classify, pack, mark and label, or document packages containing clinical samples or cultures, please take advantage of one of these opportunities. (Rember that this training does not equal certification.) Electronic brochures and registration information will be available soon, but if you wish to attend, please mark your calendars and plan accordingly. Travel assistance is available.
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Please see the information below and find registration information on our website:
- Click here for the overview and objectives of this course.
Preparedness
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Focus on Preventing Laboratory Acquired Infections (LAI) with Select Agents
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Although lab exposure data is limited, in 2023 the Mayo Clinic reported that 33% of laboratories reported at least 1 LAI occurrence over a 2-year period.
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Events that may lead to lab exposures include poor bench habits, unfocused attention, and a lack of knowledge to recognize potential suspect organisms.
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The Mayo Clinic developed the LID-ON Plate Screening Method for initial culture plate inspection to create a workspace that has NO lab exposures.
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Click here for an explanation of the LID-ON Method.
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What is a turkey's favorite thanksgiving food?
Nothing it's already stuffed!!
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Reminders:
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Lab Portal Information
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All of our lab portal procedures and access paperwork can be found on our website. Here is the link to the direct page with all of our forms and procedures: https://dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/LaboratoryServices/onlineorderingandresults.
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There is also a link in our lab portal that will take you directly to this page. This link can be found under quick links. "MT PHL Lab Portal Procedures and Forms".
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Courier
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Previous Laboratory Sentinels
- All previous Laboratory Sentinels can be found on our website on the column on the left hand side by selecting "Public Health Laboratory Newsletter". Here is a link to all our previous Laboratory Sentinels.
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