P hysicians and technologists at Annapath Inc., a clinical and anatomic pathology laboratory in Bowie, Maryland, process as many as 1,000 specimens on a daily basis, ranging from routine bloodwork to tissue biopsies and, more recently, testing that offers more insight into the COVID-19 pandemic.
The majority of Annapath’s Bowie, Maryland, location is used by a 24-hour lab. A small portion is office space for the 14 doctors on staff, who are board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology. The remaining space is used for the billing department, and for long- term storage. But the most attractive part of their new facility was the location. Situated along the Route 50 corridor in Bowie, staff and patients have easy access to the D.C. beltway, Interstate 95 and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, said Zwobot. “Our staff travels from Bowie, Maryland; to northern Virginia; Richmond, Virginia; Salisbury, Maryland; Hagerstown, Maryland; and all areas in-between on a daily basis. There is no better location than Melford Town Center in Bowie,” he said. Zwobot cited St. John Properties’ ability to work with their tenants to ensure long-term stability and to truly understand their needs to help them grow. “When we first reached out to St. John Properties in 2013,” he said, “we knew we had a company that offered more than just square feet.” Annapath Inc. MELFORD TOWN CENTER 4801 Tesla Drive, Suite H Bowie, MD 20715 301.352.6100 www.annapath.com
Using a lab technique called Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), which detects COVID-19 in the most accurate and effective manner, Annapath Inc. has been able to process hundreds of COVID-19 tests per day. Craig Zwobot, vice president of Annapath Inc., said Annapath was already in the process of implementing the RT-PCR testing platform starting in 2019, so when the pandemic hit, they accelerated the onboarding process to expand their pathology menu. In addition to COVID-19 testing, RT-PCR testing can also be used for GI and urinary tract infections. And as Zwobot explained, timing is critical. “As an example, the standard urine culture that was developed in the late 1800s typically takes four days to complete and is less likely to identify the more fastidious organisms detected by PCR tests in a mere four hours,” he said. “A 3-plus day head start is invaluable to clinicians when treating sick patients, but most clinical laboratories do not offer that option.”
In the field of molecular diagnostics, workflow and ample space are essential to the entire operation, and Zwobot said St. John Properties has always helped adapt their space to suit their needs. Starting with a 3,000-square-foot facility in 2013, Annapath Inc. doubled their square footage in 2015, and St. John Properties is currently helping them expand even further, into 15,000 square feet. “We told them our requirements and they offered us a list of options that would sustain our growth, long term,” said Zwobot. “And, most recently, they offered support for a drive-thru COVID testing area in the parking lot. St. John Properties has always been a forward-thinking partner.”
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