WASHINGTON (Sept. 13, 2025) — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) selected the College of American Pathologists (CAP) to provide laboratory accreditation services, ensuring that veterans and their families benefit from the highest standards in laboratory medicine.
“Veterans and their families deserve the very best in diagnostic care,” said CAP President Donald S. Karcher, MD, FCAP. “Through our collaboration with the VA and more than 250 VA labs over the next five years, we are delivering diagnostic results to veterans and their families that are accurate, timely, and guided by best practices and innovations in pathology.”
“Veterans must have access to laboratories that meet the highest standards of excellence,” said incoming CAP President Qihui “Jim” Zhai, MD, FCAP. “Through rigorous standards and a commitment to continuous improvement, we ensure that the care provided to veterans and their families is accurate, reliable, and worthy of their service to our nation.”
The CAP provides accreditation services to over 8,300 laboratories in 60 countries to elevate quality and improve patient care, including more than 200 laboratories that support high-quality care across the U.S. military health system.
Through this partnership, VA laboratories will benefit from CAP’s proven approach to quality and innovation, including:
- Customized Checklists: 21 discipline-specific checklists tailored to each laboratory’s activity menu, maintained by over 600 expert pathologists and laboratory professionals.
- Rigorous Peer Inspections: Pathologist-led teams matched to the size, scope, and specialty of each laboratory, supported by a network of more than 60,000 trained inspectors.
- Innovation Leadership: Through a pathologist-led scientific approach, the CAP remains at the forefront of adopting new innovations and technologies—such as digital pathology—within its accreditation and quality programs.
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About the College of American Pathologists
As the world’s largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, 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. For more information, visit the CAP Newsroom, CAP.org and yourpathologist.org to watch pathologists at work and see the stories of the patients who trust them with their care.