Common Test-Ordering Errors
Part 6: Overordered Microbiology Tests

HIV Qualitative & Quantitative; Both Ordered

September 2010

At Mayo Medical Laboratories, we do a lot of HIV testing and one problem that we encounter is that we often receive requests, on a single patient, for both the quantitative HIV test, as well as the reflex test that first quantitates HIV levels and then reflexes results >1,000 copies/mL to HIV genotyping. Genotyping is used to help physicians know if a patient is likely to be susceptible to standard drugs. We are not sure why this particular duplicate order occurs so frequently, especially since our test catalog indicates 3 options:

1. Quantitative viral levels,
2. Genotyping, and
3. Quantitative and genotyping together.

Our accessioning team screens these orders and when these tests are ordered together, we cancel 1 of the tests and perform the reflex test, sparing the patient the charge for the duplicate order. You can do your part by understanding the components of reflex tests and making sure that redundant orders are not passed on.

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HIV Qualitative & Quantitative

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Jump to section:

• Introduction
• Testing at Mayo Medical Laboratories
• Common MML Test-Ordering Errors
• Common Microbiology Test-Ordering Problems
• HIV Qualitative & Quantitative; Both Ordered
• Bacterial Antigen Testing
• Diagnosing Bacterial Meningitis
• Bacterial Antigen Testing
• Bacterial Antigen Testing Limitations
• MML Discontinued Serum Bacterial Antigen Testing
• Diagnosis of Meningitis
• Conclusion
• Questions?