Clinical laboratory tests guide more than 70 percent of medical decisions made by health care providers, according to the American Clinical Laboratory Association.
Timely collection, accurate testing and on-time reporting are key to positive patient outcomes. Based on the results of a recent on-site inspection for quality, the Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) has awarded accreditation to CHI St. Luke’s Health-Memorial Laboratory in Lufkin.
The facility’s director, David L. Todd, M.D., was advised of this national recognition and congratulated for the excellence of the services being provided. CHI St. Luke’s Health-Memorial Laboratory is one of more than 7,700 CAP-accredited facilities worldwide.
The hospital laboratory has been CAP Accredited since 2008.
“We pride ourselves in upholding the highest possible standards and our continuous accreditation in the CAP program proves our commitment to excellence,” Dr. Todd said. “The Laboratory staff goes beyond standard quality practices and performs at the same level as some of the greatest institutions worldwide.”
During the CAP accreditation process, designed to ensure the highest standard of care for all laboratory patients, inspectors examine the lab’s records and quality control of procedures for the preceding two years. CAP inspectors also examine lab staff qualification, equipment, facilities, safety program and record and overall management.
The Laboratory Accreditation Program is an internationally recognized program which includes complex university medical centers to physician office laboratories. It is designed to go well beyond regulatory compliance, and the program provides a solid foundation for excellence and quality practices in medical laboratories. The U.S. federal government recognizes the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, begun in the early 1960s, as being equal-to or more-stringent-than the government’s own inspection program.
“Receiving this accreditation is true honor, but it is also a testament to the outstanding effort and focus on safety that our staff believes our patients deserve every day,” Dr. Todd said.
