Collection Notification

The Kansas State NBS Lab is seeing an increase in TSH abnormal results. This can be in part due to the newborn screen being collected prior to 24 hours after birth.  Collection prior to 24 hours can cause TSH values to be falsely elevated and require a redraw. When collecting the newborn screen, please verify collection occurs when the baby is at least 24 hours of age and if possible, not more than 48 hours of age. While the goal is to screen as close to 24 hours as possible, it is much better to collect after the 24-hour timeframe than before due to the potential false positive result that can occur. Collection cards that indicate collection before 24 hours are marked invalid. It is critically important to the screening that the collection not occur until the baby is at least 24 hours of age. Deviation from this protocol can result in an increased burden to the collecting facility, the NBS program and ultimately families who need to be seen for a recollection. For additional information please refer to CLSI guidelines or contact Shane.Morris@ks.gov  for any training support needs. Thank you for all you do to support newborn screening in Kansas

Special Bequest Commission

Special Health Care Needs is accepting applications for the Special Bequest Commission. The Special Bequest Commission is a governor-appointed board that oversees the distribution of funds from the Grindol Trust and other donations to support children with special health care needs. The Commission provides equipment and specialized services that are not typically covered by insurance, Medicaid, or the Special Health Care Needs (SHCN) program.

If interested, please complete and email the Special Bequest Commission Application to ivette.perez@ks.gov.

Special Bequest Commission Application (Fillable)

New Website

Welcome to the new Screening & Surveillance website. We’ve updated our website to make information about the Screening & Surveillance program more accessible for everyone. You can still access the standard KDHE website, but we hope you find the information here helpful and user-friendly. If you have any suggestions to improve your experience on the website, please email shane.morris@ks.gov.

Lab XChange

Lab Xchange allows you to complete the demographic information on any computer or tablet with internet connectivity. Using Lab XChange to complete demographics will help you avoid errors when manually entering demographics and help speed up entry on certain fields using drop-down menus.

For more information on Lab XChange or to sign up, please contact Shane Lahman at Shane.Lahman@ks.gov.

6 Spot Collection Cards

The lab now has 6 spot collection cards for newborn screening. If you still have a supply of the 5 spot cards at your facility, you can finish using them before switching to the new 6 spot cards. Be sure to check the expiration date of your 5 spot cards before use.  As a reminder, please do not use blood spot collection cards that are expired or about to expire. Cards expiring in 5 days or less should not be utilized to prevent invalid results once arriving at the laboratory for screening. Expired cards do not need to be returned to the laboratory, please discard.

To order new collection cards with 6 spots, click here.