Newborn Screening Program Providers

What happens to the dried blood spot cards after the results have been reported?

Specimens are held at the lab for one month for quality control purposes and if any retesting is needed. The specimens are then sent to the North Dakota Department of Health and are stored at a secure location. The blood spot cards are destroyed after the child turns 18 years old.

Families may benefit from having their baby's dried blood spot card stored. If a child gets sick, the blood spot can give the provider an idea if something at birth made the child sick. A blood spot may also be used to identify a missing or deceased child or if the parents request information for future pregnancies. At no time would any research be done on a baby's blood spot card without parental consent.

If the parent/guardian would like their baby's blood spot card returned to them and not go into storage, they may complete a request form to have their child's blood spot card returned to them.

Who should I contact to obtain results for my patient's newborn bloodspot screening test?

Contact the hospital at which the child was born for the report or you may also contact the Newborn Screening Program at 701.328.4532 and a report can be faxed to you. Click here for a listing of the ND birthing facilities.

What to do in the case of an 'abnormal' or 'out of range' result for my patient?

An abnormal result indicates that the screen showed signs that the baby may be at a higher risk of having a disorder. This does not mean that the baby has a disorder; newborn screening is not a diagnostic test. To confirm the results, follow-up testing must be performed according to the directions from the short-term follow-up program and medical consultants. Contact the short-term follow-up program at 319.384.5097 to seek next steps for confirmatory testing for your patient. Time is of the essence with some disorders and early intervention and treatment saves lives.