Lexington Medical Laboratories, Inc.
 110 East Hospital Drive suite 100
West Columbia, S. C. 29169
803-791-0273

Physician & Technologist Specialists In The Practice Of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Certified Laboratory Testing, Campus Of Lexington Medical Center.

  • Founded: LML began as a not-for-profit lab Dec. 1984 (in the "old mail room" at Lexington Medical Center) in order to offer the expertise John & Sara Carter brought down from their nationally recognized immunology lab at Henrotin Hospital (that hospital now absorbed by another), Chicago, Illinois. The Carters had at least a decade of national-level expertise as regular workshop instructors (1975-1985) in immunoserology in the combined national educational meetings of the CAP and ASCP. There being no lab square footage available in the then Lexington County Hospital, hospital administrator, George I. Rentz, asked that a private lab be established in the then-new Lexington Medical Office Building (LMOB) at highways I-26 & 378. The first test report was issued on a Legionella serology on 24 Dec.1985, followed by a DIF skin biopsy on an LCH ER skin biopsy for Palmetto Dermatology's Dr. Fred McElveen  the next day.  The Articles of Incorporation, dated 10 January 1986, were filed with the Secretary of State office 13 January 1986.

    As the lab evolved, it became a practical R&D lab for the set-up of (1) new tests which could not be put into use in the main hospital lab or (2) new tests which needed to be set up under this focused expertise. As clinically appropriate (24/7/365 need), a number of such tests have been transferred to the hospital lab. While we can work with individual patient's, our prime mission is the affiliated services with LMC through PAL.

  • Owners: John B. Carter, M. D., Sara L. Carter, Ella R. Calvert, & Ervin B. Shaw, M. D.
  • Board of Directors:
    • chairman: Ervin Shaw
    • secretary: Sara Carter
  • Officers:
    • president: Ervin Shaw
    • vice president: John Carter
    • secretary/treasurer: Sara Carter
  • Staff:
    • lab director: John Carter, M. D. (through Pathology Associates of Lexington... PAL)
    • technical director & senior consultant for R&D: Sara Carter, MT (ASCP) SM, SI
    • chief technologist: Sara Carter, MT (ASCP) SM, SI
    • senior technologist: Donna J. Richardson
    • immunohistochemistry: Terri Meetze
    • others: Elaine, Anita, Kelly, Flossie, Don
  • Range of services (many may already be at Lexington Med. Center lab):
    • infectious disease serological testing by IFA microscopy and by instrument immuno-techniques
    • auto-immune disease serological testing by IFA and/or instrument
    • serum protein analysis by instrument, electrophoresis, and immunofixation
    • serum tumor marker testing (such as PSA & AFP)
    • serum endocrinology
    • serum immunochemistry (B12, folate)
    • direct...even emergency...immunofluorescent (DIF) testing of tissue biopsies (mostly skin) [example cases] [diagnosis info]
    • contracting with PAL to perform technical services of immunohistochemical staining of histology slides [marker catalogue] [diagnosis info] .
  • Accreditation: by College of American Pathologists continually since 1987 & COLA pending in 2006.
  • Hours of operation: Monday through Saturday, about 8-6.
  • Affiliations: Pathology Associates of Lexington, P. A. ("PAL") and Lexington Medical Center ("LMC")