Expedited Western Blot Test Information

The Illinois Perinatal HIV Hotline offers expedited tests for HIV-1 Western blot for calls to the Hotline in which an urgent confirmatory HIV test result is needed for obstetrical decision making. The specimens are processed for HIV 1 & 2 EIA and HIV-1 Western blot at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Immunology Laboratory.

Testing Schedule

• Expedited confirmatory Western blot testing is done Monday-Friday. Testing is not done on Saturday and Sunday; however specimens can be received at Central Specimen Receiving 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• If the specimen is received by 11am, it will be processed the same day. Otherwise, it will be held until the next routine run the following morning. If the following day is a Saturday, testing will not be completed until Monday morning.
• Turn around time for reporting confirmatory Western blot results is approximately 4 hours after receipt in the lab, unless the specimen is received after 11am. Then it will be reported approximately 4 hours after the following day’s run.

Specimen Collection and Requirements

• Specimen must be collected in a dedicated, primary gold top vacutainer tube. Testing is done on primary gold top tube samples only. THE SPECIMEN MUST BE RECEIVED IN THE ORIGINAL TUBE.
• Specimen may get hemolyzed if not separated from cells. If there is access to a centrifuge, please centrifuge the specimen but, DO NOT POUR OFF THE SAMPLE.
• Tube must be labeled with a minimum of 2 unique patient identifiers (Ex. name, date of birth, social security number).
• Specimen must be accompanied by a completed Northwestern Memorial Hospital Laboratory Requisition.
• Elements to be completed on the requisition include:
  1. Patient First and Last Name (Identifiers on the tube must match the requisition)
  2. Home Address
  3. Social Security Number or Date of Birth
  4. Date and Time Specimen Collected
  5. ICD-9 Code
  6. Billing Option: select "Bill Patient"
  7. Ordering Physician Name: write in "Patricia M. Garcia"
  8. Test requested: select "HIV Antibody (Western Blot confirm)"
• Attach the patient’s complete insurance or medicaid information to the laboratory requisition.

Shipment Instructions

• Send the specimen via FedEx, UPS or courier. Room temperature is acceptable if shipped right away; for longer shipping, place ice pack in the shipping box to keep sample cold.
• Ship to the following address:

Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Pathology Laboratory-Central Specimen Receiving
251 E. Huron Street
Feinberg Pavilion, Rm. 7-307
Chicago, IL 60611
Attn: Sarah, Robert or Jerry

Reporting of Results

• The ordering Hotline physician (Dr. Patricia M. Garcia) will be informed of the results of the confirmatory Western blot. The physician caring for the patient at the external hospital will then be informed of the results.
• DO NOT contact the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Outpatient Laboratory directly as it is only authorized to release the results to the ordering Hotline physician.
• Please call the Hotline directly at 1-800-439-4079 if you have additional questions.

Requisition Form

Fee Schedule

*does not include interpretation fee

Billing Information

The patient’s insurance or medicaid will be billed for the processing of the expedited Western blot test. It is imperative that you attach the patient’s complete insurance or medicaid information to the laboratory requisition.