Northfield, IL—The College of American Pathologists (CAP) released on August 17, 2016, enhanced Laboratory Accreditation Program checklists, used in the accreditation inspection process to help laboratories meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements.
The CAP's program is based on rigorous accreditation standards that are translated into detailed checklist requirements. CAP inspection teams use the checklists as a guide to assess the laboratory's overall management and operation. The program is internationally recognized and the only one of its kind that utilizes teams of practicing laboratory professionals as inspectors. Designed to go well beyond regulatory compliance, the program helps laboratories achieve the highest standards of excellence to positively impact patient care.
In the 2016 accreditation checklist edition, the CAP added or revised requirements for laboratory general management, transfusion medicine, anatomic pathology, molecular pathology, and cytogenetics. Some of the most significant changes will assist laboratories in maintaining personnel information that is essential to optimal laboratory management and CMS compliance.
The CAP Checklists Committee is made up of practicing pathologist members and they are responsible for near-constant evaluation of checklists to maintain program stringency and the highest standards of patient care in a changing medical landscape.
"The checklists reflect the CAP's commitment to patients in that we revise them regularly to include advancements in medicine, technology, and laboratory management," said Bharati Jhaveri, MD, FCAP, chair, CAP Council on Accreditation which oversees the accreditation program and Checklists Committee. "The program is built upon our desire to provide patients with the highest quality pathology and laboratory medicine services."
A webinar detailing the specifics of checklist updates is scheduled for September 21, 2016. William West, MD, FCAP, chair, CAP Checklists Committee, will lead the session.
About the College of American Pathologists
As the leading organization for board-certified pathologists, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. With more than 18,000 physician members, the CAP has led laboratory accreditation for more than 50 years with more than 7,800 CAP-accredited laboratories in 50 countries. Find more information about the CAP at CAP.ORG. Follow CAP on Twitter at @PATHOLOGISTS.