In Picayune’s Industrial Park is a relatively new company providing local doctor’s offices with clinical testing.
Pathway Diagnostics Co-owner Kyle Mouton, said the business began operating in June of this year, providing blood tests and other testing to doctors offices as close at Picayune, and as far away as Tucson Arizona. He operates the business with co-owner Phillip Martinez.
Mouton has a mechanical engineering degree, but became interested in the medical field while working in the biometric monitoring field for three years.
Establishing the business in Picayune was relatively simple. Mouton said he found a lot of help from city employees to get the proper permits and his landlord with securing the building.
Most of the testing that takes place at Pathway Diagnostics focuses on toxicology, but Mouton said there are plans to add other testing in the future, such as hematology and coagulation.
One of the reasons a doctor would request toxicology testing would be to ensure they don’t prescribe a patient medication that could adversely react with any over-the-counter or illicit substances the patient may already be taking.
In all, the business employs 25 people, 11 of which are full time. Mouton’s staff includes medical personnel capable of drawing blood, sales representatives and a medical technologist. Connie Raucsh, the medical technologist on staff with an American Society of Clinical Pathology certification, performs the testing. She said she can typically conduct a test in about an hour, but there is a lot of prep work that goes into each test. With that in mind, most doctor offices can expect results back within 48 to 72 hours. The instruments are so precise, they kept in a room where climate and humidity are controlled.
“We’re putting out results that affect people’s lives,” Rausch said.
The complex testing machinery requires constant care, is routinely calibrated and checked for quality control.
Mouton said he wouldn’t be able to have the business without his dedicated staff.
Now that the business is getting off its feet, Mouton has plans to become involved in the community by meeting the community and holding charity events.
The business is now registered with the Greater Picayune Area Chamber of Commerce. The official ribbon cutting is scheduled for Wednesday Dec. 21 at 11:30 a.m.
Contact staff by email at info@pathwaydl.com or by phone at 601-7994787.