International Shipping Guide

This guide provides packing and transportation instructions for international clients shipping medical specimens to Mayo Medical Laboratories.

Test Request Procedure

The Order Tests section provides detailed instructions for requesting tests and the commonly needed forms.

Recommendations

Ship Monday through Thursday - do not ship Friday

Shipments made on Friday may not clear U.S. Customs until Monday. Specimen integrity could be compromised due to thawing.

Do not ship specimens on the day of or the day before a U.S. holiday

Customs clearance will delay your shipment one (1) extra day.

U.S. Holidays to consider:

• New Year’s Day - January 1
• Memorial Day - Last Monday in May
• Independence Day - July 4
• Labor Day - First Monday in September
• Thanksgiving Day - Fourth Thursday in November
• Christmas Day - December 25

Packing and Shipping Instructions

• Biological Substance Category B Specimens
• Infectious Substance Category A, and Biological Substance Category B

Specimen Identification Policy

In compliance with and adherence to the CAP and the Joint Commission’s 2008 Patient Safety Goals (1A), Mayo Medical Laboratories’ policy states that all specimens received for testing must be correctly and adequately labeled to assure positive identification.

Specimens must have 2 person-specific identifiers on the patient label. Person-specific identifiers may include:

• Accession number
• Patient’s first and last name
• Unique identifying number (eg, medical record number)
• Date of birth

Specimens are considered mislabeled when there is a mismatch between the person-specific identifiers on the specimen and information accompanying the specimen (eg, computer system, requisition form, additional paperwork). When insufficient or inconsistent identification is submitted, Mayo Medical Laboratories will recommend that a new specimen be obtained, if feasible.