Laboratories
Accreditation and Credentials
Florida Hospital Heartland Division Laboratories are inspected, accredited and/or licensed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), State of Florida, the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services and American Association of Blood Banks.
Technical Personnel
FHHD Laboratories employ Florida licensed clinical laboratory technologists and technicians to perform testing. They are registered by a nationally recognized and/or state approved certifying agency. These employees have satisfactorily passed certification qualifications and examinations.
About Our Lab Professionals
According to the United States Department of Labor, there are more than 300,000 practitioners of clinical laboratory science. Most laboratories are comprised of a team with a variety of educational backgrounds and experience. Team members in the laboratory include pathologists, licensed medical technologists and technicians, histology technologists and technicians, phlebotomists, and a variety of support personnel.
The pathologist is a medical doctor who specializes in the study of diseases. They examine tissues, blood and body fluids to diagnose diseases and also oversee all laboratory testing. The findings of the pathologists help the clinician in the total care and management of their patients.
Medical technologists (MT’s or techs) use theoretical concepts and practical skills to provide clinical information which is essential for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases. The medical technologist generally holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology, Biology, Chemistry or Microbiology with an approved 12-month internship in the 5 major disciplines: Hematology, Chemistry, Serology, Microbiology and Immunohematology. Medical Laboratory Technicians generally hold an Associate Degree in Medical Laboratory Science.
The medical technologists employed at Florida Hospital Heartland Division are licensed and skilled in multiple disciplines and perform a variety of testing from simple to highly complex. Chemistry techs are trained to operate specialized instrumentation to perform chemical analysis on blood and body fluids. Hematology techs perform tests for blood coagulation (example: to monitor anticoagulant therapy) and urine analysis. They also complete blood cell counts and examination of peripheral blood and body fluid smears to differentiate blood cells. Microbiologists culture samples from various body sites to identify pathogenic organisms and help the physician determine the appropriate antibiotic for use. Immunohematology techs (or blood bank / transfusion service techs) perform blood typing, antibody screening and match blood for patients that may need a blood transfusion. Additional high complexity testing is performed by the transfusion service technologist such as antibody identification and antigen typing to solve complex problems when blood incompatibilities are found. All MT’s use quality tools such as calibration, quality control and quality assurance to ensure the highest degree of accuracy and precision in test performance.
The histology laboratory contributes a valuable service to help pathologists provide patient diagnoses. Information gained through microscopic evaluation of tissue slides prepared by histology technologists allows a pathologist to either identify or dismiss disease. The preparatory steps taken to ensure a quality diagnosis are key to this relationship. Knowledge of the basic pathologic conditions, skills in the use of precision equipment, and performance of special stains enable histology techs to accurately demonstrate the morphology of tissue specimens. Knowledge of biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology and medical terminology is essential for the professional histology technician or technologist.
Phlebotomists are allied health professionals that are trained to collect quality blood samples for laboratory testing requested by a medical doctor or licensed healthcare practitioner. The phlebotomist helps to reduce the workload of the medical technologist by focusing exclusively on blood collection. Phlebotomists create an atmosphere of trust and confidence with patients while drawing blood samples in a skillful, safe and reliable manner.
In addition, the laboratory is complemented by a staff of highly capable support personnel to include specimen processing, compliance, charge capture and administrative assistants.
Laboratory training programs are available in the Central Florida area. We have listed a few of the programs closest to Highlands County:
- The Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology is offered by the University of Central Florida in Orlando
- University of South Florida in Tampa
- Associate of Science in Medical Laboratory Technology is offered at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce
- Phlebotomy courses are also available through Indian River State College
Hours
All three hospitals are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.
Routine hours to greet outpatients:
- Florida Hospital in Sebring (loacted inside Seascape Imaging department): 6:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday – Friday
- Florida Hospital Sebring: After Seascape hours and on weekends listed above
- Florida Hospital Lake Placid: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Daily
- Florida Hospital Wauchula: 6:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Daily
- Seascape Diagnostic Imaging in South Sebring (behind Publix): 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday
- Florida Hospital Outpatient Center at Heartland Plaza Office: 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Monday - Friday and 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday – Wednesday
Contact Us & Directions
Florida Hospital Heartland Medical Center in Sebring (863) 402-3454
Florida Hospital Lake Placid (863) 699-4375
Florida Hospital Wauchula (863) 767-8255
Seascape South in South Sebring (863) 402-1266
Florida Hospital Outpatient Lab located in Sebring at the Heartland Plaza (863) 402-5502