CAP Accreditation Consultancy Services for Medical Laboratory:
College of American Pathologists (CAP):
The College of American Pathologists is the world’s largest association composed of Pathologists, certified by the American Board of Pathology, serving patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide and is widely considered the leader in laboratory quality assurance.
The aim of the Accreditation Programme is to improve patient safety and ensuring laboratories meet or exceed regulatory requirements by advancing the quality of pathology and laboratory services by assuring ensures the laboratory adheres to the broadest, most rigorously validated laboratory standards.
CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program:
The CAP's Laboratory Accreditation Program, being unlike any other, accredits the entire spectrum of laboratory test disciplines with the most scientifically rigorous customized checklist requirements.
Discipline specific checklists simplify the compliance process and also assists in implementation of the requirements into the existing system, providing a clear road map for achieving accreditation and running a high-quality laboratory. Further, annual checklist updates incorporate the latest best practices.
The CAP’s unique peer-inspection model provides a unique balance of regulatory and educational coaching, benefitting both the laboratories being inspected and the laboratories providing the inspection teams. The inspection teams are trained, comprising of practicing laboratory professionals understanding the workflows and challenges faced by the laboratories on an everyday basis. Furthermore, only the CAP provides specialised inspectors for important, highly complicated subjects.
Benefits of the Accreditation Program:
- CAP provides the leading-edge science and technology in the checklists, benefiting the clinicians and patients, relying heavily upon accurate laboratory test results and thus ensures accurate patient diagnosis.
- Adhere to CLIA, FDA, and OSHA requirements. CAP requirements frequently go above and above the regulations, improving patient care and safety.
- Peers in pathology and laboratory medicine converse about best practises.
- Recognition of Gold Standard thereby, increasing the value they bring to organizations, customers, patients.
- Manage the constantly growing advances in technology and laboratory medicine.
- Exchange ideas and best practices among pathology and laboratory medicine peer.
Program Details:
- Every two years, on-site inspections are conducted to evaluate adherence to the program's standards utilising CAP Accreditation Checklists.
- Non-accredited laboratories may purchase the checklists, and participating laboratories can access them through the e-LAB Solutions Suite.
- Peer-based inspection models employ groups of working professionals that have completed CAP inspector training.
Eligibility Requirements:
- The CAP grants accreditation to labs that conduct testing on samples from people or animals while adhering to methods and clinical applications that fall under the purview of the programme When needed by law, laboratories must have the relevant licences in order to conduct tests.
- For international laboratories seeking CAP accreditation, enrolment is required for a minimum of six months in our EQA/PT prior to requesting an accreditation application.
- The application must include a list of all the disciplines that the laboratory practises at the same address and under the same directorship. Since the CAP does not accredit specific areas of laboratories, all disciplines will be inspected.
CAP Accreditation Cycle:
Role of Us for CAP Accreditation:
Acute Quality Consultants provides guidance and assistance in each and every step of the process for obtaining the accreditation and thereafter maintaining the accreditation to achieve the defined goals.Below mentioned includes the major responsibilities fulfilled from AQC’s end:
- Gap Analysis: Macro & Micro level study of the existing processes and prescribing shortcomings based on standard requirements and recommendations for fulfilling the shortcomings.
- Guidance towards maintaining statutory compliances
- Preparation of Policies, Procedures & Formats for the Implementation of Quality Management System as per the Standard & Checklist requirements with reference to national and international journals, articles, textbooks thereby reducing discrepancies in opinion during assessment.
- Formation of Core Quality Team and Training for the Implementation of QMS & Data Analysis
- Training on CAP Accreditation Process, Internal & External Quality Assurance Processes and Procedures,
- Aids in identifying and monitoring quality indicator amidst implementing a data management system, thereby identifying risks and opportunities to existing process, thereby reducing operational costs.
- Conducting Internal Audit
- Assisting in conducting Management Review Meeting
- Training on Identification of non-conformances, performing root cause analysis, taking corrective and preventive actions
- Creation and filling of Application with relevant information from the laboratory’s end
- Explaining, Solving and Answering the customized CAP Checklists
- Conducting Mock Assessment
- Assisting in taking corrective action and preparing documentary evidence for the closure of the NCs raised during the final assessment
- Continuous support in maintenance of the accreditation.