Test Code FOLATERBC Folate, RBC, Quest #467

Additional Codes
QUEST #467
Meditech Mnemonic: FOLATERBC
Specimen Requirements
Preferred Specimen: 2mL EDTA whole blood, room temperature
Acceptable Specimen: 2mL EDTA whole blood, frozen
SPECIMEN PROCESSING and HANDLING
Whole blood collected in an EDTA (lavender-top) tube sent at room temperature will have folate and hematocrit testing performed. Note: HCT testing cannot be performed on a frozen specimen. A default HCT result will be used for calculation of the RBC folate value.
TRANSPORT TEMPERATURE
Preferred Transport Temperature: Room temperature
Acceptable Transport Temperature: Frozen (will not perform HCT)
Specimen Stability:
FOLATE (EDTA):
Room Temperature: 5 days
Refrigerated: 5 days
Frozen: 60 days
HCT:
Room Temperature: 48 hours
Refrigerated: 48 hours
Frozen: Unacceptable
PERFORMING LAB
Quest Diagnostics-South West