February 27, 2023
LETHBRIDGE – Today, community lab services in Lethbridge, Brooks and Medicine Hat have transitioned from Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL) to DynaLIFE Medical Labs.
This change, aimed at improving lab services for Albertans and generating savings, is the second phase of the provincial transition of lab services. Labs in the North, Edmonton, Central and Calgary zones of Alberta Health Services (AHS) transitioned to DynaLIFE this past December.
“Contracting community lab services to DynaLIFE will ensure Albertans have timely access to high-quality community lab services, while generating cost savings and redirecting healthcare dollars into other important health services,” says Jason Copping, Minister of Health. “DynaLIFE has a proven history of providing innovative lab services and Albertans can be assured they are getting the best care possible.”
About two-thirds of provincial lab work, or 50 million tests per year, is generated from the community and will be delivered by DynaLIFE under contract to AHS. The contract includes operating community labs and mobile collection facilities in cities and communities with more than 25,000 collections per year.
In Brooks, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, APL in-hospital laboratories will continue to serve patients who have a requisition generated at a hospital or urgent care site, either through inpatient, emergency or ambulatory clinics. Hospital labs in rural areas of the AHS South Zone that do not have additional community labs will continue to serve rural community clients.
“This expanded partnership with DynaLIFE will not only see investments in community lab facilities and technology, but will continue to drive and support the health innovation ecosystem in Alberta,” says Mauro Chies, interim AHS President and CEO. “The transition of community services to DynaLIFE will ensure hospital labs, operated by APL, are able to focus on the emergency, inpatient and urgent needs of acute and ambulatory hospital patients.”
DynaLIFE has built additional capacity in both Calgary and Edmonton, which will enable an increased volume of tests to be processed every day, and support a provincial testing model. New community labs are opening in many communities across the province, including two in Lethbridge opening today. Albertans can learn more about changes in their community by visiting wearedynalife.ca.
“DynaLIFE is always looking for new ways to serve the province we love, so we’re excited for this next stage in our journey,” says DynaLIFE CEO Jason Pincock. “Providing community and non-urgent hospital lab services throughout the province will allow DynaLIFE to bring world-class testing facilities and patient-centred focus to new locations, ensuring stability, reliability and excellence for the diagnostic industry, and paving the way for greater innovation and new industry partnerships.”
Albertans can book an appointment, and find the closest lab location, online at qme.dynalife.ca or by calling the DynaLIFE appointment booking line at 1-877-702-4486.
For more information on lab services in Alberta, as well as this transition, Albertans can visit albertaprecisionlabs.ca and dynalife.ca.
Alberta Precision Laboratories is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alberta Health Services, delivering high-quality, responsive diagnostic lab services to Albertans across our healthcare system.
DynaLIFE is a leading Alberta-based medical laboratory offering a complete range of diagnostic testing services. DynaLIFE’s 2,000 employees are proud to be seen as industry leaders – bringing reliable, innovative services to more than 4,000 physicians and two million patient visits a year. DynaLIFE has been operating clinical laboratory facilities in Alberta for more than 60 years.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait-times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.
