Family Care Network adds lab services in Whatcom, Skagit counties

Family Care Network is adding laboratory services in Whatcom and Skagit counties, representatives said.

The expansion is in partnership with Paclab; NW Pathology, which will provide courier services, and Clinical Micro-stat Systems, which will be responsible for microbiology testing. Family Care will retain ownership, while the other providers will help with operations.

Family Care created a dedicated space at Ferndale Family Medical Center to process specimens as part of the added services, which included putting a blood draw station, with a phlebotomist, into most of its clinics.

The expansion comes as PeaceHealth announced in February plans to sell most of its lab services in Washington state, including its patient centers throughout Whatcom County, Oregon and Alaska to Quest Diagnostics. PeaceHealth will retain ownership of the labs in its hospitals, including at St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham, but Quest will manage them.

PeaceHealth has about 100 lab assistants and 45 technologists in Whatcom County – with about 50 of those combined positions being eliminated, according to numbers from the union SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

Family Care has been adding blood draw stations in its clinics since Feb. 27. Ten of its clinics will have such stations, and associated phlebotomists on site, likely by March 23. Another clinic, Squalicum Family Medicine, will have a station at a later date.

The expansion, which will add at least 12 positions, means patients who need lab services won’t have to be sent elsewhere to do so, which was the case in Whatcom County when they were sent to PeaceHealth to have their blood drawn.

In Skagit County, Paclab already provides phlebotomy services in two of Family Care’s clinics.

“We wanted to do more of that,” said Brian Ecker, director of operations, for Family Care Network.

The aim is to improve quality, convenience to patients and efficiency in delivering health care, Family Care said.

“We could hit all three of those in a positive way,” Ecker said.

Reducing costs and improving turnaround time for results also are goals.

Adding the ability to draw blood on-site means that Family Care can now conduct a broader scope of tests, such as a complete blood count, cholesterol and thyroid.

Founded in 1999, Family Care Network is the largest independent medical group in Whatcom and Skagit counties with 12 clinics, 78 doctors, five physician assistants, 17 advanced registered nurse practitioners and another 334 employees.

“We firmly believe our model and philosophy of care will improve the patient experience and provide better opportunities to control the rising costs of health care,” Family Care spokeswoman Michele Anderson said.

“Being a local, physician-owned laboratory also means these services will be managed and staffed locally,” she added.

Family Care will continue to use lab services at PeaceHealth’s hospital in Bellingham.

This story was originally published March 17, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Family Care Network adds lab services in Whatcom, Skagit counties."