GREENVILLE, Miss. — The Mayo Clinic's Medical Laboratories will be handling specialized tests for the Delta Regional Medical Center in Greenville.

Delta Regional chief executive Scott Christenson told the Delta Democrat Times (http://bit.ly/1CRk8Y5 ) that Delta Regional, samples, as needed, will be flown to the Rochester, Minnesota, clinic. He said results typically are digitally available the next day.

Christenson said the clinic's physician staff is available for consultation with their counterparts at Delta Regional if needed.

Delta Regional performed 1.44 million lab tests last year, but, Christenson said, "there are some very specialized tests that few labs can do."

The relationship ultimately benefits Delta Regional's patients, Josh Hammons, the hospital's director of support services, said in a statement.

"We take pride in the level of expertise and dedication we provide," he said. "Mayo Medical Laboratories' comprehensive laboratory tests and proficiency will enhance our overall value, allowing us to provide the highest quality laboratory testing to Washington County and the surrounding counties."

Currently, the Greenville hospital performs lab tests for blood banking, hematology and serology, among others.

Mayo Medical Laboratories said in a statement that it will be able to augment those procedures with specialty testing. The lab operates as part of the Mayo Clinic's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.