Whistleblower brings scrutiny to Lakewood lab that handles veterans’ blood

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http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/06/28/3265500/whistleblower-brings-scrutiny.html?sp=/99/296/331/354/

Whistleblower brings scrutiny to Lakewood lab that handles veterans’ blood
By Hal Bernton and Adam Ashton
Seattle Times staff writer News Tribune staff writer
June 28, 2014

Last February medical lab technicians at the VA’s American Lake hospital in Lakewood flagged a compromised batch of blood samples because it had been frozen and thawed one too many times.

The blood came from 18 patients scheduled to be tested for hepatitis C. The VA’s mandatory protocol required that the samples be thrown out and the veterans rescheduled for new draws to ensure more accurate results.

Rather than follow those guidelines, however, the lab supervisor chose to refreeze the samples and test them anyway, according to an internal incident report.

Less than a month later, technicians spotted the same error in another batch of 21 blood samples headed for hepatitis C testing. Once again, the lab processed the samples even though a technician noted them as damaged, according to incident reports.