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PATHOLOGY
ASSOCIATES of LEXINGTON P.A.
at LEXINGTON MEDICAL CENTER
For patients in central South Carolina, closeness
and convenience of these services is an important consideration: time-wise, the following
services are most quickly obtained (with respect to services in a hospital) at Lexington Medical Center (LMC) than at any other hospital. For any patients
who might fly in, that hospital is by far nearest to the airport and with many motels very close
by (Zip code 29169-4810).
Pathology second-opinion services:
[if you'd like our opinion, contact us and provide your contact info
as well as contact info for the lab which processed your biopsies]
Lexington Medical Center
Dept. Surgical Pathology
2720 Sunset Blvd.
West Columbia, S. C. 29169
803-791-2410 or -2400
[billing aspects of our group]...[our path. group web site]
DANGER: It is ALWAYS to your advantage to have cancer screening
and diagnoses take place in your community where the doctors involved are credentialled and
continually under ongoing review for quality of their performance. When (1) Radiology imaging
screening and diagnostic services and (2) Pathology and Laboratory Medicine services are performed
OUTSIDE of this tightly quality reviewed situation, you are in increased danger of (1) missed
diagnoses (false negative) and/or (2) inaccurate diagnoses (false positive). Were this not true,
national quality monitor organizations would not require hospitals to perform such review
functions.
[below,
some of our such doctors: see their info and photos here, in LMC web site (see Find a Doctor)]
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BREAST PROGRAM (@ Lex. Med. Ctr.):
One of the most
frightening things in a woman's life is when they suspect an abnormality in a breast and
immediately worry about their risk of
breast cancer. Make one call to 803-791-2521 or 800-635-0858 and leave your message and your
return-the-phone-call contact numbers for program director, Kelly Jeffcoat, R.N.; and get a result
in 5 days or less thru her arrangements with the doctors, below (superficial FNA
section).
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OUTPATIENT LIVER BIOPSIES:
Radiologist performed @ LMC (their old web site; on LMC website); no
inpatient stays; almost-pain-free; first procedure attempt gets a specific, accurate
diagnosis 99.99% of cases because (1) we routinely & aggressively obtain your
illness details from your referring doctor and (2) we obtain a tube of your blood for
any decisive testing needed to help speed to the correct diagnosis.
Lexington Medical Center,
Schedule
procedure:
803-791-2461
I-26 @ SC #378, West Columbia, S.C.
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SUPERFICIAL FINE NEEDLE BIOPSIES (FNA) of TUMORS and BREAST
BIOPSIES:
( palpable breast, neck, axillary, skin,
etc.).
In addition to accuracy, our lab puts a very high
premium on rapid...often same day...diagnosis.
a.
Surgeon-performed:
Lexington Surgical Associates,
patient referral:
803-359-4133
Charles "Will" Harmon, M.D.; Richard Felton, M.D. @ Lexington
office
Paul Smith, M.D.; Myron Barwick, M.D.; Lynn Tucker, M. D., etc. @ West
Columbia office
I-20 @ SC #6, 723 South Lake Drive, Lexington, S.C. (with office
hours in LMC-Irmo and in the West Columbia office building attached to Lexington Medical Center
hospital building) and at LMC Lexington on #1 & #378, Lexington, S.
C..
Southern Surgical Group,
L.L.C.
patient
referral:
803-796-8901
Bill Moore, M.D.; Terry Norton, M.D.; Ron Myatich, M.D.; and
Jeff Libbey, M.D., etc.;
I-26 @ SC #378, 110 East Medical Lane Suite 230, West Columbia, S.C.
(and with some office hours in Northeast Columbia).
Riverside Surgical Group, patient referral 803-791-2828 Jim
Givens, M.D.; Chip Strickland, M.D.; Marc Antonetti, M. D.; Gray Hughes, M. D., etc.; 2728
Sunset Blvd suite 308 (adjoining Lex. Med. Ctr.), West Columbia, S. C.
St. Andrews Surgical Associates, P.C.:
patient referral:
Fred Clemenz, M. D. (retired from office practice summer of
2001)
803-732-2600, Irmo, SC.
b. Pathologist-performed
FNA's:
Pathology Associates of Lexington,
P.A.
procedure could be scheduled [though capable, we never get asked to do breast cases]:
803-791-2159
Beverly Daniel, M.D. ; John Carter, M.D. ; Jayne Moffatt, M.D. ;
Ranleigh Fleshman, M. D.; T. Paul Seybt, M.D., etc.
I-26 @ SC #378 (Lexington Medical Center) West Columbia,
S.C.
c.
Radiologist-performed:
Lexington Radiology
Associates, P. A. (see doctors, below).
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DEEP FINE NEEDLE BIOPSIES of
TUMORS:
Since the beginning about 1990, we consistently have had a 90 to 95% incidence of
accurate diagnosis on the first attempt; radiologist performed (Lexington Radiology Associates, P. A.), pathologist and/or cytotech assistance;
preliminary diagnosis to radiologist usually within an hour. Our success rate is related to our
being "at the ready" at all times with no real attempt to schedule with radiology AND having the
active, in-the-procedure-room, involvement of experienced pathologists with either
cytotechnologists or cytoprep techs. Such helps to assure smoothness and lack of frustration to
the procedure and on-the-spot, non-microscopic reckoning of the adequacy of the
specimen.
Lexington Medical
Center
schedule
procedure:
803-791-2461
I-26 @ SC #378, 2720 Sunset Blvd., West Columbia,
S.C.
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PROSTATE, NEEDLE BIOPSIES:
From between 1991-2004, our group provided this
pathology interpretation service to all area Columbia urology groups (but currently only to
Dr. Morrow & the radiologists @ LMC) as a system of maximally oriented prostate biopsies
which can be precisely subsequently coordinated with endorectal-coil MRI or MRS staging. All
study and most treatment methods also are available at Lexington Medical Center.
This highly oriented, highly correlated process is thought to be unique in the USA and helps
to maximize staging accuracy for an accurate choice of treatment modalities, if needed. Every
effort is made to get the diagnosis to the urologist's office the next weekday after we
receive the biopsies.
And, we are available for second-opinion services
on your biopsies diagnosed at other labs or even in our lab. If the second opinion is to come
from the rest of our group on a case diagnosed in our lab, there will be no additional
charge. We do make a charge for our opinion on biopsies originally diagnosed elsewhere. It
will help immensely if you can precisely inform us of the dilemma that gives rise to the
desire for other opinions. Call the above (top of this page) LMC phone number and/or have the
slides sent to that above address.
a. Columbia Urology Associates,
P.A.,
Anymore, we almost never get their specimens.
b. L. U. A.,
P.A.
Though in our direct neighborhood, we seldom get any biopsies from
them; they merged in late 2011 with a N. C. group and are focused in that economic
axis.
c. Richard C.
Morrow, M.D.
On main campus of Lexington Medical Center
2728 Sunset Blvd.
West Columbia, S. C.
803-926-0507
d. C. U.
P.
Though in our direct neighborhood, we seldom
get any biopsies from them; they merged in summer of 2011 with a N. C. group and are focused in
that economic axis.
e.
Lexington Radiology: (Drs. John Haynes & Ed
Pia, etc.)
These two radiologists & others perform these for an occasional primary care
doc and a urologist. As with all who biopsy the prostate, it is done through a wand through the
rectum. Now that biopsy protocols indicate 10-12 separate biopsies at one sitting, the radiologists
began injecting a pain-numbing prostate nerve block just prior to biopsies. Most biopsying docs
have the patient start antibiotics the day before biopsies (Dr. gives prescription for Floxin 400mg
twice per day for 4-5 days or Cipro 250-500 mg twice per day for 4-5 days). One hour before the
procedure, the patient cleans out the rectum with such as a Fleets phospho enema (you can buy
without prescription).
Schedule
procedure:
803-791-2461@ Lexington Medical Center
I-26 @ SC #378, West Columbia, S.C.
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GASTROINTESTINAL:
A cooperative relationship geared toward punctual
scheduling of procedures and rapid and accurate interpretation and reporting of any biopsies,
in a very close clinico-pathologic relationship.
a. Consultants in
Gastroenterology, with South Carolina Endoscopy.
patient
referral:
803-794-4585
V. W. "Vasa" Cate, M.D. (retired); Richard M. "Rick" Lawson, M.D.
(retired 2011); S. G. "Gabe" Saleeby, M.D. ; M. E. "March" Seabrook, M.D. ; E. J. "Eric"
Heinzelmann, M.D.; J. W. "John" Schaberg, M. D.; E. W. "Gene" Stuart, M. D.; Rajeev "Raj" Vasudeva,
M. D.; Dr. Jim Richter; etc.
I-26 @ SC # 378, 131 Summerplace Road, West
Columbia, S.C. [located off of #378, barely west of Lexington Medical Center; and the
building also contains the procedure center, South Carolina Endoscopy Center, 803-74-4585]
(with office hours also in Irmo [7035 St. Andrews Rd., 29212] and near Richland Mem. Hosp. [9
Medical Park, 29203] and at Moncrief Army Hospital, Fort Jackson, 751-2404); with procedures
sometimes at Lexington Medical Center-Lexington in Lexington, S. C.; and often on inpatient
consults in Lexington Medical Center, West Columbia, S. C..
b. Midlands
Endoscopy.
Balbir S. Minhas, M. D., Anil J. Kudchadkar, M.D., etc.
Procedures at Midlands Endoscopy Center at 1 Wellness Blvd suite 10, Irmo, S. C. (803-732-8632);
often at Lexington Medical Center-Lexington in Lexington, S. C.; and on inpatient consults in
Lexington Medical Center, West Columbia, S. C.
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LUNG LESION
PROGRAM:
They say you have an abnormal chest X-ray? Our
pathology group has a very high batting average of rendering an accurate biopsy/cytology
diagnosis on the first evaluation session working with patients independently scheduled
through the pulmonologist or initially scheduled through another type of doctor. Lexington Medical Center also has a patient-requested Lung Cancer Screening program. Same or
next-day diagnosis.
Lexington Medical Center,
patient
referral:
803-791-2521
I-26 @ SC #378, West Columbia
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SKIN
LESION/CANCERS:
We participate in a position of coordinating skin
pathology reports especially mapped in such a way as to collaborate with plastic surgery
dermatologists and other surgeons to conserve uninvolved skin of the face and head by way of
maximally oriented resections involving our dermatologists/surgeons expertise, with the
pathology information maintained in such a way that very precisely and tightly focused
superficial x-ray therapy can be subsequently executed as needed. Superficial therapy is also
available as primary treatment.
a. St. Andrews Dermatology: Dr. Rebecca L.
Clemenz (we seldom get her specimens)
patient
referral:
803-749-0097 (dermatology)
Irmo, campus of Lexington Medical Center-Irmo, 7039 St. Andrews Road,
between Harbison Blvd. and Irmo, S.C.
b. Palmetto Dermatology: Jeffrey K. Smith, M. D.; Katherine C. Thompson, M.D.;
Vickie S. Roberts, P.A.; Michelle Evans, P. A.; and, others. This practice was created in 1975 by Fred J. McElveen, M.D. (retired
6/2011);
patient
referral:
1-800-432-7546(dermatology)
or
803-796-2500(dermatology)
SC # 378 half way between I-26 and I-20 interchanges on the north
side of #378.
c. John S. Ravita, M.D., P.A.
[currently not available]
patient
referral:
1-800-868-7652 (radiation oncology)
or
803-791-2575 (radiation oncology)
I-26 @ SC # 378 (in Lexington Medical
Center)
d. Peter C. Haines, M.D. (we seldom get his specimens)
patient
referral:
803-732-5788 (plastic surgery)
7035 St. Andrews Road, Irmo area, S.C.
e. Brett Carlin, M.D. (we seldom get his specimens)
patient referral:
803- (plastic surgery)
West Hospital Dr., West Columbia, S.C. (behind Lexington Med.
Center)
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HEMATOLOGY/ONCOLOGY:
Our pathology group is available for
review/opinions of bone marrow specimens or blood smears; the clinical doctors are available
for all aspects of medical hematology and oncology. Dr. Carter is formerly director of
hematology & coagulation at MUSC; Dr. Will Armstrong (retired) is Board certified in
Hematopathology and consults a lot for area medical docs on patients with bleeding &
clotting problems; and Dr. Kitt McMaster (retired) did a Hematopathology fellowship. We have Drs. Welsh, Seybt, and OLga S. with primary responsibility as of 2016.
a. Pathology Associates of Lexington,
P.A. (we are never asked to do the biopsy of marrow specimens anymore
patient
referral:
803-791-2410
I-26 @ SC #378, in Lex. Med. Center hospital, West Columbia, S. C.
b. J. S. R., M.D., P.A.,
[currently not available]
c. S.C. Oncology Associates, P.A.,
patient
referral:
803-791-1444
Drs. Tripp Jones (retired), Chaudry Mushtaq, Fred
Kudrick, Ann Hutcinson, etc.(we seldom get their specimens)
Off of Greystone Blvd. near Riverbanks Zoo...166 Stoneridge
Drive
Columbia, S.C. 29210. 803-461-3000.
d. Lexington Oncology: Drs. Steve Madden, Asheesh Lal,"VJ" Korrapatti, Jim
Wells, and Chelsea Stillwell, etc. 2728 Sunset Blvd (Lex. Med. Ctr.), West Columbia, S. C.
803-794-7511.
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CYTOLOGY/BIOPSY (Pap smear) TESTING and
CORRELATION:
We feel that doctors can best advise females about
pap smear and cervix
abnormalities when the same lab carefully correlates smear and biopsy diagnoses, as is done
in our laboratory. We provide these quality-intensive, not-lowest-cost services for all of
the ambulatory care centers and doctors office practices of Lexington Medical Center. Unlike
commercial lab providers (who have no such community professional accountability), our
quality parameters are regularly reported to and accountable to the Dept. of OB-Gyn of
Lexington Medical Center. We process Paps for most of the doctors in
Lexington Medical Center's 150+ doctor MSO, as well as from their ERs &
CMCs.
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CORONER'S, HOSPITAL, PRIVATE, and
MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES:
We feel that locally performed, coroner-ordered
postmortem examinations [forensics info.] are highly effective when readily connected to a more
expert source for selected homicide cases; our group is loosely connected to the forensic
pathology practice of Joel Sexton, M.D. in Newberry, S.C. We provide services for Lexington
Medical Center as well as the Lexington County Coroner's Office. There is no charge for hospital
autopsies ordered on Lexington Medical Center patients; cost of Coroner's cases is paid by the
county.
Private autopsies may be desired by the next of
kin in order to evaluate the deceased's condition for family-interest reasons. Or they may be
performed because of the family's belief that medical, product, or employer liability
occurred. Where legal issues are the reason, it is highly advisable that the next of kin
immediately contact the appropriate lawyer (your personal lawyer can help you) and thereby
help to assure that the pathologist doing the autopsy is able to confidently address the
legal issue. We are seldom, if ever, able to contract to do "private autopsies" and have
always suggested that the inquiring person contact Drs. in Newberry (Dr. Joel Sexton's old group) or Dr. Clay Nichols in Columbia.
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PROFESSIONAL FEES:
We are extremely interested that our fees be "reasonable", and we
make every effort to insure such. However, it is illegal for us to compare our fees to those of any
"competitor"; therefore, we have no idea how our fee "compares". What we charge and what we are
paid, on average, as with the clinical doctors, is vastly different. We are always willing to take
into consideration special patient circumstances. [see more billing info here] We go to extraordinary efforts to file "clean
claims" to third party payers on behalf of patients, by way of our own personnel and a
professional pathology-specific medical billing service whose branch office is in Greenwood,
S.C. and/or Charlotte, N. C., and maybe Charleston, S. C., in the hopes that third party payers will pay what they should with the least amount of
hassle for the patient or his/her family. But the info passed on to us is often lacking
significant items....especially often missing is the name of the person on the insurance
policy...the "responsible party" (policy owner). For example, to properly file a "clean claim"
on a Pap smear, we must know the husband or father's name, because wives and daughters are so
often covered on their husband's or father's insurance policies. And we often have to know the
employer of the policy owner because the insurance company processes claims according to the
name of the company employer whose benefits program is "riding" on the insurance company's
"network". Without full filing information, insurance companies may reject our filed claim. Then
we have no choice but to bill you for the total, potentially tying up a lot of your time and
causing undue frustration. If you have a chance to do so, it is very helpful for us to have a
copy of the insurance card. Upon receiving your bill or notice, please promptly call toll free
with the above info 877-268-1012.
[our group's web site...with billing & insurance
tips]
check out the Highest
TRUTH
(posted May 1998; latest PAL phone # adjustment 12 September
2016)
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