Our Services

Surgical Pathology

The pathologists of Summit Pathology focus relentlessly on getting you the information you need quickly and accurately. The vast majority of specimens we receive are processed overnight and interpreted the next day (obviously, cases that require extra fixation or special procedures may take slightly longer). We also, unlike many pathologists, are very interactive. We will call you (or your office if you are unavailable) with malignant or unexpected results, so that you never have to be surprised by a cancer diagnosis that "sneaks onto your desk." You can always contact us if you have additional questions, either by e-mail or phone (970-461-6091).

Since we own our laboratory, we insist on procedures and techniques that will help us achieve our goals stated above. An experienced and highly skilled team staffs our pathology laboratory. They help us provide:

  • Rapid Turnaround Diagnostic Surgical Pathology
  • Special Histochemistry (fungal stains, bacterial stains, etc.)
  • Automated Immunohistochemistry (special stains used to identify tumors)

Our pathologists have vast experience and broad expertise in virtually all areas of pathology. However, even experienced pathologists sometimes need extra help on complex cases. When a consultation is needed, we will first utilize our own on-staff experts, then, as necessary, recognized national experts in order to get you the information you need to best treat your patients.

We also offer flow cytometry testing for classification of difficult hematologic malignancies (with four on-staff physician experts). We also have access to many other advanced testing methods such as Fluorescent in-situ Hybridization (FISH), cytogenetics, and PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) through our relationships with national referral laboratories.

Reports

Some pathologists seem to feel that their responsibility ends when they complete their interpretation and issue a report. At Summit Pathology, we strive to make our reports readable, accessible, and practical. We use nationally approved templates for tumor resection cases, so that you can always find the data you need, and we have standardized our verbiage on many specimen categories with standard of care terminology. Further, should you ever have a question about one of our reports, a pathologist is available 24/7 to answer your questions. Please use our contact page to e-mail or call our pathologists. You may also use the Pathologist On Call page to send a page to today's on-duty pathologist.

Results may be reported in many ways, depending on your needs. We have many options available, including:

  • Surgical Pathology Courier Service
  • U.S. Postal Service
  • Secure Internet Access Portal
  • Telephone
  • FAX

Our client service representatives or office staff (including Gretchen, pictured above) can assist you with these choices, and you can change your preferences at any time. Please use the Office Express page to contact Gretchen or our other staff to discuss report delivery.

Cytopathology

Summit Pathology provides outstanding gynecologic (PAP screen) and non-gynecologic cytology service through the organization formerly known as Northern Colorado Cytology Service (NCCS). NCCS is now owned and operated by our pathologists, and is part of Summit Pathology. Under the direction of Dr. Arlene Libby, our fellowship-trained, board-certified cytopathologist, we are well-equipped to provide a full range of cytopathology services, including interpretation of PAP screens (ThinPrep®, SurePath®, and manual specimens), fine needle aspirations, bronchoscopy and other endoscopically acquired samples, and smears from various body sites.

Modern cytopathology includes molecular testing that is performed on the PAP specimen, and Summit operates a molecular laboratory that offers many additional tests, including Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing, Chlamydia testing, and gonorrhea testing. Please see the cytopathology section of this site for more details.

As in all areas of our laboratory, we highly value rapid service to you, our clients. As a result, we issue Pap results within 1 to 2 days of receiving the specimen.

Professional Consultation

A pathologist is always available, every hour of every day, to answer questions, discuss results, consult on unusual cases, or arrange for special studies. We are happy to help you with your questions on both inpatient and outpatient laboratory issues, as well.

For immediate assistance, please use the link on our home page to page the on-call pathologist, who will get in touch with you promptly. For routine questions, please use our contact page to contact our office staff, any of the individual pathologists, or your client service representative. We will get back to you within one business day.

Clinical Pathology

All of our pathologists are board-certified in Clinical (laboratory) Pathology as well as Anatomic Pathology. In addition, we have four pathologists that are board-certified in the subspecialty of hematopathology, and one pathologist that is board-certified in Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine. All of us are deeply involved in the administration of laboratory services at both McKee and North Colorado Medical Centers. As a result, we are happy to help when you have questions about lab results or processes in the hospital labs. Either stop by our offices in the laboratories at either hospital, or contact us through our contact page.

Supplies

Summit Pathology furnishes all supplies necessary for the collection and transportation of specimens to our laboratory. Please use the Office Express link to order supplies, or contact the laboratory at 970-461-6091.

For cytopathology supplies, you may use the same order form that you will find on the Office Express page; simply follow the directions on the form. If your practice was previously set up to order supplies through the Northern Colorado Cytology Service web portal, you may continue to order your supplies in this way. For questions on supplies, contact Jill Lambert.

Client Services

Summit Pathology has two experienced and helpful client services representatives that will visit your office regularly to ensure that your needs are being met. Either Allen Saxton, Summit's Director of Business Development, or Jill Lambert, our Client Business Manager, will be happy to assist you with any concerns regarding reporting, supplies, billing or any other issues regarding Summit's service.

Surgical Pathology Courier Service

We contract with a team of full-time couriers to bring prompt, professional pick-up and delivery service to our area. We expect our couriers to respond to your needs in a courteous, efficient manner at all times. For any questions, contact one of our customer service representatives.

Pricing

We strive to keep our prices fair and competitive. Should you or your patients have questions, one of our customer service representatives or any of our pathologists will be happy to discuss our prices and fee schedule. Use our contact page to get in touch with us.