The premier accrediting agency for medical laboratories has judged the clinical lab at Tri-City Medical Center to be of the highest caliber and recently awarded the lab full accreditation.
A team of nine evaluators from the College of American Pathology spent an entire day performing an extensive, probing, survey judging the hospital’s lab on hundreds of standards. The purpose of the biennial accreditation process is to ensure laboratories adhere to the highest standards of excellence to positively impact patient care.
During the CAP accreditation process, inspectors examined the laboratory’s records and quality control of procedures for the preceding two years. CAP inspectors also examined laboratory staff qualifications, as well as the lab’s equipment, facilities, safety program, and record, in addition to the overall management of the laboratory. They observed actual patient care procedures, and inspected the laboratory’s interface with caregivers throughout the hospital. This stringent inspection program is designed to specifically ensure the highest standard of care for all hospital patients; almost every patient receives the laboratory’s attention and care.
The CAP Laboratory Accreditation program is recognized by the federal government as being equal to or more stringent than the government’s own inspection program.
The lab’s medical director, Dr. Marcus Contardo, said Tri-City passed the survey with the best achievable results. “The lab touches every patient, whether it’s a routine blood draw or something more involved like testing tissue for cancer cells. Providing consistently reliable and accurate results enables our doctors to manage their patients appropriately and prescribe treatment based on reliable information,” said Dr. Contardo.
The College of American Pathologists serves more than 17,000 physician members and laboratories throughout the world and is widely considered the leader in laboratory quality assurance.
