CAP Review and Forecast: Accreditation 2024/2025

Robert Johnson:

Hundreds of new laboratories achieve accreditation, a new checklist is released and more communication with international partners. These are at the top of the accreditation agenda at the College of American Pathologists.

This is your CAP review and forecast focused on accreditation in 2024 and 2025. I'm Robert Johnson. Thank you for joining us for this conversation about CAP accreditation, accomplishments and priorities with Dr. Earle Smitty Collum, chair of the CAP's Council on Accreditation and a member of the CAP's Board of Governors.

Dr. Earle Collum:

We had a banner year in 2024, and there are a number of accomplishments. The first one that comes to mind is the onboarding of 657 new laboratories in 2024. It is the most ever in any one year of the program. We now accredit 8,350 labs worldwide, which is also the highest ever. In that number, we accredit more than 100 biobanks and 100 laboratories in our CAP ISO 15189 program. Also, a big positive is that we accredited 213 COLA laboratories since December 2022 when Joint Commission no longer recognized COLA accreditation, and we also have 13 in the pipeline for post inspection review to be added to that number.

There are other couple items I would like to mention. CMS put out new rules for personnel and histocompatibility back a year ago in December of 2023 that needed to be incorporated into the 2024 checklist. There was a very heavy lift among CAP members, fellows and the CAP staff in order to incorporate this significant change, which is not an annual change. This was a major change into the checklist so that they're consistent throughout all of the 22 different checklists that we have. So the members and staff put a lot of work into that. It got submitted to CMS later than usual, but not late. But CMS did not return it to the CAP until November of 2024. And really on remarkably I should say, we were able to publish the 2024 checklist on December 26th, 2024. And Robert, one other item that I think is really exciting for us is that we've put some enhancements in place in our international program to develop a stronger communication and relationship with the international laboratories. We now specifically add an onboarding call to each laboratory who signs up for our program and gets the information on how to become an accredited laboratory. But now we have a dedicated process for onboarding new laboratories in the international community. In addition, on the off year, which is the year laboratories perform their self-inspection, we also have set up a call on those off years. In order to provide guidance or any assistance a laboratory may need to be able to perform an effective and productive self inspections. So those areas are really the highlights of the accomplishments in the Council of Accreditation for 2024, Robert.

Robert Johnson:

Absolutely an impressive list. I wonder how the Council follows up and does even more in this new year. What are a couple of items that are big on the agenda as you see it right now?

Dr. Earle Collum:

First of all, in the international program, there's going to be some additional focus in bringing our expertise in laboratory medicine and pathology and our accreditation and proficiency testing. We're going to put a special emphasis in those areas of the world that we are not as deeply involved in now as we could be. Specifically Brazil and India, I think are areas where we can bring our expertise and expand what we're doing in those areas because they tend to be receptive. They tend to understand that we're able to communicate well with them and they're excited to be part of our program and we're excited to share. And that's really part of our mission, is to exchange best practices such that we can improve those laboratories and they can participate with us as well.

Robert Johnson:

Thinking about how members can engage in all of this work that's going on, how do they help the process? What can they do to help make even more happen on the accreditation front this year?

Dr. Earle Collum:

Well, Robert, I'm glad you asked that because we are always looking for pathologists members especially, and any of those people with special expertise in any of the disciplines that we cover. If they have an interest, reach out to us. Give us their name. There should be emails that are going out if you're interested on serving on a committee to apply, and we strongly encourage this. And if for any reason you happen to miss the email, if you email the CAP at accred@cap.org and ask to make sure you get an invitation to apply, we strongly encourage that. The other big way. And we would not have the program without them. And that is the participation and dedication of our members and other staff in laboratories and pathology and performing inspection. The CAP laboratory accreditation process, the core of it are the inspections performed by the peers that come into the laboratories and share our expertise peer to peer in order to improve pathology and lab medicine worldwide.

Robert Johnson:

How excited are you for the opportunity to try and top those accreditation numbers that we had last year?

Dr. Earle Collum:

Well, I'm excited because I know the staff, we've got people like yourself that are also have their expertise in the areas to do this. I believe that they have the bandwidth, they have the energy, they have the motivation. They see all the wonderful things we do, and I believe it's contagious. And I'm using contagious in a good sense in this context. So I'm optimistic about it, Robert, I really am.

Robert Johnson:

Read more in the episode notes. That's where you'll find links to everything mentioned today. This has been your CAP review and forecast focused on accreditation in 2024 and 2025. In the days ahead, we'll visit with other CAP council chairs about their work and what's ahead for the College of American Pathologists. This is Robert Johnson. Have a great day.