Associates in Pathology

06/18/2025

Hope to see you tomorrow!!!!

06/04/2025

After many years of operating in two separate locations, we’re excited to announce that we’ve finally come together under one roof—and we’d love for you to see our new space!

Join us for an Open House as we celebrate this new chapter. Come meet our team, tour the new location, and enjoy some light refreshments and snacks. We’re looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and welcoming new ones.

📍 425 Pine Ridge Blvd Suite 200
📅 Thursday, June 19, 2025
🕒 11:00 – 2:00

05/22/2025

We are writing to provide important information regarding the billing process for your screening colonoscopy, particularly related to pathology services that may be rendered as part of your procedure.

During screening colonoscopies, it is common for the physician to remove one or more polyps as a preventive measure. When this occurs, the removed tissue is sent to a laboratory for detailed pathological examination. This is an essential part of ensuring your continued health and identifying any early signs of disease.

However, it is important to understand that once a polyp is found and removed, the procedure may no longer be classified by your insurance as a purely "screening" colonoscopy. As a result, the pathology portion of your exam may be subject to additional costs such as deductibles, copays, or coinsurance, depending on your individual insurance plan.

We understand that insurance billing can be complex and sometimes confusing. We recommend that you contact your insurance provider directly to understand what is covered under your plan, particularly in regard to pathology services related to preventive screenings.

Your health and peace of mind are very important to us, and we thank you for your trust in our care.

05/13/2025

National Cytotechnology Day, celebrated on May 13th, honors the birthday of Dr. George Papanicolaou, the inventor of the Pap smear, and recognizes the contributions of cytologists to healthcare, particularly in women's health.

Cytotechnologists (or Cytologists) are healthcare professionals who examine cells under a microscope to detect abnormalities, including those that indicate cancer. They work closely with pathologists to interpret cell samples, such as those from Pap tests or Fine Needle Aspirations. They play a crucial role in early cancer detection and diagnosis.

We want to take this opportunity to recognize our three Cytologists (Holly, Andrea and Taylor) at Associates in Pathology. We are grateful to your dedication to patient care! Thank you for all you do!

04/25/2025

Today, we just want to give a huge shoutout to our incredible team in the pathology laboratory. Your dedication, precision, and hard work often happen behind the scenes, but your impact is felt every single day. From processing samples to delivering life-changing diagnoses, what you do matters—more than most people will ever know.

Thank you for the long hours, the attention to detail, and the commitment to excellence. You make a difference in patients’ lives, even if they never get to meet you. 💙

Here’s to the unsung heroes of medicine—Team Pathology!

Today we want to recognize our Administrative staff (Sherri and LeAnn) and Physician staff (Dr. Cousins, Dr. Xu, Dr. Sewall, Dr. Kantola, Dr. Charles, Dr. Heese and Dr. Durnick). Sherri and LeAnn work hard to keep the day to day operations of the organization flowing in a positive manner. They are dedicated to focus on the core values of Associates in Pathology! Pathologists - without them, we would not be the great organization we are! They truly are some wonderful doctors and human beings. Thank you for all you do for your staff!

GO TEAM ASSOCIATES IN PATHOLOGY!!!!

04/24/2025

Pathology is a medical specialty focused on providing a definitive diagnosis of many different diseases, including cancer. Usually the services provided by a pathologist are on behalf of a referring physician. The referring physician is the doctor who directly treats the patient.

Pathologists diagnose a wide range of diseases by examining tissues, cells, and fluids, including cancers, infections, inflammatory diseases, genetic disorders, and diseases affecting the nervous system, blood cells, and skin.

Today we want to recognize our Pathologists Assistants (Erin, Elizabeth and Jamie). These ladies are highly trained health care professionals who work under the supervision of the pathologists to provide gross examination of surgical pathology specimens. They also play a key role in the collection of bone marrow samples.

Thank you for your quality focus on patient care. You play a vital role in the pathology lab in preparing the samples for the pathologists to provide a diagnosis. Thank you for all you do!!!

04/23/2025

Why am I getting a bill from Associates in Pathology?

Pathology deals with the examination of body tissues and fluids by microscopy and laboratory testing in order to provide your physician with information needed for diagnosis and treatment. The bill you receive from Associates in Pathology could be for one of the following:
1. The examination of your tissue – a biopsy or surgical specimen.
2. The examination of a cytology sample – often a Pap test or fine needle aspiration.
3. The interpretation of a blood or urine test.

Today we want to recognize our Administrator Professionals!!! Our Patient Accounts Specialists (Amy, Linda, JoAnn and Nicole) and our Medical Secretaries (Dana, Megan, Jessica and Melanie). The Patient Accounts Specialists are focused on ensuring that your medical claims are submitted to your insurance company with an accurate diagnosis and CPT code. They work with your insurance company if the insurance denies your claim before getting the patient involved. They also work with patients to set up payment plans or answer any questions related to your bills. The Medical Secretaries are the masterpieces behind the pathology reports ensuring they are accurately formatted and without errors. They also play a vital role in sending out cases for extra studies or testing that are not performed in-house at AIP.

Thank you to both teams for your hard work! Your roles are vital in our pathology laboratory! We appreciate everything you do!!!

04/22/2025

How fast can you get pathology results?

Once your sample is received in the pathology laboratory, Pathology tissue biopsies take approximately 24 hours to process and make into glass slides to be reviewed by the pathologist. Additional tests may be necessary on the tissue to make an accurate final diagnosis which may delay your results. You should allow your doctor time to review your results before contacting you which could take 5-7 days.

Today we want to recognize our Histology Team (Scott, Amylin, Steve, Marie and Danielle). The role of the histology team is responsible for providing a high quality slide for the pathologists to make a diagnosis from. This includes a process where the tissue goes through a fixation process with formalin, before going through a dehydration and clearing process to remove water from the tissue which is then replaced with a clearing agent that is compatible for the embedding process. The embedding process is when the tissue is embedded into paraffin wax to provide support for sectioning of the tissue. Sectioning of the tissue is cutting thin slides using a microtome to create a microscopic slide. The tissue sections on the slide are then stained to highlight different cellular structures and components making them visible under the microscope. This is all completed by a certified Histotechnologist. They have various other responsibilities within the histology lab as well.

Thank you to our Histology team for attention to detail and focus on quality when creating these slides for our pathologists which in turn provide an accurate diagnosis to our patients.

04/21/2025

Today begins National Laboratory Week!!!

A pathology lab is a specialized healthcare facility that analyzes tissue samples, body fluids, and cells to diagnose and monitor diseases, aiding in accurate medical diagnoses and treatment plans.

Today we want to extend a special thanks to our Cytology Laboratory Team! Our Lab Techs (Heather and Tricia) and our Cytologists (Holly, Andrea and Taylor) are focused on providing quality care on cytopathology (study of cells) cases. In the Cytology laboratory, they process Pap smears and perform HPV and Gonorrhea/Chlamydia testing. They also prepare slides for the pathologists on body fluids to include urine, pleural fluid, and cerebral spinal fluid (and many others) along with fine needle aspirations. Their role is vital in preparing cases for the pathologists to provide you with an accurate diagnosis!

Thank you Cytology team for your hard work!!!

04/18/2025

Thank you Sign Forge LLC!!!

Need an interior sign? We do those too!

04/14/2025

Pathologists' Assistant Day (PA Day) is celebrated every year on April 14.

Pathologists’ Assistants (PAs) are highly trained, certified advanced practice providers that work in anatomic pathology, providing accurate and timely processing of various laboratory specimens, most notably the macroscopic examination of surgical specimens. PAs play a critical role in the delivery of healthcare services in surgical pathology, and are key to determining patients’ pathologic diagnoses. PAs help pathologists do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. They help healthcare systems reduce risk and improve patient care.

We want to recognize our three PAs at Associates in Pathology (Erin, Elizabeth and Jamie) and thank them for their commitment to quality focused care. We appreciate you and thank you!

03/30/2025

Today we celebrate our Pathologists! We cannot thank them enough for their hard work, loyalty to patient care and overall kindness and compassion to healthcare. Today is your day! Thank you for all you do for our community to stay quality focused to provide accurate and timely diagnoses to our patients.