Processing terms
24 glossary entries from the Processing domain of the CPT test plan. Try free Processing practice questions.
- aliquotA portion of serum, plasma or urine transferred from the original tube into a labeled secondary tube, so several tests…
- analytical phaseThe testing step itself, when the instrument or test system measures the specimen.
- buffy coatNarrow whitish band of white cells and platelets resting between packed red cells and plasma after an anticoagulated…
- Category B infectious substanceShipping class for specimens that may hold infectious agents but are not high risk; labeled UN3373 and packed in…
- centrifugationSpinning specimens to separate cells from serum or plasma, using the tube maker's time and speed; serum tubes must…
- centrifugeMachine that spins tubes fast to separate serum or plasma from cells. Load matched, balanced tubes; open the lid only…
- chain of custodySigned, dated record of each person who has a specimen, from collection to disposal, so a forensic or drug-test result…
- clotting timeThe time a serum tube stands at room temperature, as the tube maker specifies, so the clot forms fully before…
- critical valueA result showing a possibly life-threatening condition (a panic or alert value); the lab must tell the ordering…
- Custody and Control FormCCF: the federal form that documents a workplace drug-test specimen's chain of custody, from the employee to the…
- dead volumeExtra sample an analyzer needs to pipet accurately, beyond the volume the test itself uses; part of a test's minimum…
- HIL indicesHemolysis, icterus and lipemia indices: analyzer measurements of sample quality that flag results that may be…
- icterusDark yellow serum or plasma caused by high bilirubin; bilirubin in icteric samples can falsely lower some chemistry…
- lipemiaCloudy, milky serum or plasma from high blood fats, often after a heavy meal; it can interfere with tests, one reason…
- LISLaboratory information system: software for lab orders, specimen tracking, results and reports. Each user needs a…
- post-analytical phaseSteps after testing: verifying and reporting results and getting them to the ordering provider and the medical record.
- pre-analytical phaseSteps before testing: ordering, patient preparation, identification, collection, labeling, handling and transport…
- QNSQuantity not sufficient: too little specimen for the ordered tests, a common reason a sample is rejected.
- recollectionCollecting a new specimen when the first was rejected or lost; contact the patient and document the reason.
- reference laboratoryAn outside laboratory to which specimens are referred for tests the collecting lab does not perform.
- specimen rejectionA lab's refusal to test a specimen that fails its written acceptance criteria, for example unlabeled, hemolyzed…
- tamper-evident sealSeal placed over a specimen bottle's cap and down its sides that shows if the bottle was opened; the collector dates…
- triple packagingA leakproof primary container inside leakproof secondary packaging, inside a rigid outer package; required for…
- turnaround timeTime from a test request or specimen receipt until the result is reported; labs track it as a key measure of service…