Spokane Valley-based Incyte Diagnostics has agreed to sell select assets of its clinical and anatomic pathology testing businesses to Burlington, North Carolina-based Labcorp (NYSE: LH).

The assets that Labcorp is acquiring involve multiple same-day testing labs and some technical assets of Incyte Diagnostics’ anatomic pathology business, including its two labs in Spokane Valley and its patient service center locations in North Spokane, Deer Park, Post Falls, Hayden, and elsewhere. The pending acquisition also includes Incyte's labs in Tukwila, Washington; Richland, Washington; and Missoula, Montana.

Dr. Jon Rittenbach, board chair at Incyte Diagnostics, declines to disclose the terms of the transaction, which is expected to be completed later this year.

He says, “Incyte will still remain an independent professional services organization. We will still partner with hospital groups and physician practices in order to provide professional services for lab medical directorships and for slide interpretations."

The primary difference stemming from what’s being characterized as a collaborative relationship is that Incyte Diagnostics pathologists will continue to offer professional anatomic pathology services to examine and interpret tissue samples, while Labcorp will provide tissue processing and slide preparation services.

Details haven’t been finalized yet for how this will affect the more than 300 employees at Incyte Diagnostics, he says.

“Our plan is to make a landing spot for as many people as we can,” says Rittenbach.

He adds that there will still be a need for staff to operate the technical services that will be performed at the various locations.

“The services will continue as they are currently,” he says. “We don’t foresee a big change.”

Once complete, the transaction is expected to provide patients, physicians, and customers with greater access to Labcorp’s laboratory services, scientific expertise, and expanded testing capabilities—including oncology testing—in communities across the Pacific Northwest.

“We will have a broader network of resources available to us,” Rittenbach says. “It’s going to be an enhancement of services.”

Labcorp already has a presence in the Inland Northwest, with locations in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Coeur d’Alene, and Post Falls. In 2017, Labcorp acquired Spokane-based Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories.

Companywide, Labcorp has nearly 70,000 employees that serve clients across about 100 countries.