Mobile Collection Services

Calgary Laboratory Services (CLS) provides Mobile Collection Service for patients who face significant medical challenges that prevent them from accessing Patient Service Centres (PSCs) for blood collection (see criteria below). Mobile office hours are Monday through Friday 0700-1600 hours. On-call staff is available for after hours emergency requests Monday through Friday 1600-2100 hours and Saturday/Sunday 0600-2100 hours. Requests for after hours emergency collections must be made to CLS Lab Information Centre 770-3600.

To be considered eligible for this service, patients must meet at least one of the following criteria:

Patient is home and/or bed bound.
Patient has a mental health problem such as agoraphobia, debilitating anxiety, or psychiatric condition that prevents them from leaving their residence.
Patient has dementia or brain injury that would present as a safety risk travelling to a CLS Patient Service Centre.
Patient suffers from a medical condition such that a trip of an hour or more outside of the home would compromise the patient's health.
Patient has high oxygen requirements that cannot be safely met by the use of portable oxygen.

Patient would not be considered as eligible for Mobile Collection Service if the following apply:

Patient resides in a "Seniors Complex" and does not meet mobile criteria.
Patient is a resident in a facility that provides transportation for activities such as shopping, social outings in which the patient participates.
Patient is able to drive a motor vehicle.
Patient is experiencing financial pressure or social pressure as a result of having to travel to a PSC.
Patients who are able to arrange transportation for other activities such as shopping, banking and/or hair appointments.
Patient is able to take extended vacations.
Patient is able/has returned to work.

Note: Patients do not qualify for service on the basis of age alone.

Guidelines for Duration of Service

Based on medical condition hospital discharge patients may be provided service for up to four weeks. Subject to physician request and review extended service will be considered.
Orders for daily collections are provided for one week only, but can be requested for an additional week. Requests for a third week of daily collections is forwarded to a pathologist for review and consultation with the referring physician.
All other orders (unless cancelled by physician) are considered valid for one year.

Triggers for Cancellation of Service

The physician cancels the order.
The physician fails to return completed confirmation order on two separate occasions.
The physician fails to renew the order.
Patient refuses to have specimen(s) drawn.
Patient is unable to be contacted prior to collection visit, and is not home on two separate occasions. This rule does not apply if the patient's absence is due to being at emergency or is hospitalized.
Patient, caregiver or family member is physically/verbally abusive to lab staff.

Provision of Mobile Collection Service maybe considered for unusual or extenuating circumstances based on consult between the health care provider and Calgary Laboratory Services.

Patients who do not meet the criteria for residence collection may go to any Patient Service Centre for blood collection.

Home collection may only be requested by attending physician(s). Originating order requires a Mobile requisition to be completed and faxed to the Mobile office. Once a mobile patient file is established, changes to the original order may be made by faxing the Mobile office.

Mobile Phone #: 770-3351

Mobile Fax #: 777-5222

To assure integrity of the specimen prior to analysis and to comply with the laboratory standards for the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons the following is a list of tests that cannot be collected as part of the mobile collection service:

Acid Phosphatase Glucose Tolerance ACTH HIV Viral Load

Aldosterone Homocysteine Ammonia Insulin Growth Factor

Antidiuretic Hormone Ionized Calcium CD4 count Lactate

Cryoglobulin Renin

D-dimer Vitamin C

Glucagon Leukocyte Alkaline Phosphatase Stain

For current test availability please refer to the Alphabetical Test Directory.