CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program Expands Inspector Training Footprint in Japan

Contact: Aaron Osborne
Phone: 847-832-7030
Email: aaosbor@cap.org

TOKYO—The College of American Pathologists (CAP) and CGIkk hosted laboratory accreditation inspector training for 20 pathologists from leading institutions across Japan. The September 28 training was the first step in producing more regional inspectors to accredit laboratories on behalf of the CAP, helping to ensure laboratory quality and accuracy for improved patient care.

The CAP’s accreditation program is internationally recognized and the largest of its kind that utilizes teams of practicing laboratory professionals as inspectors. During on-site inspections conducted every two years, CAP inspection teams use checklists that represent the CAP accreditation program’s rigorous accreditation standards and cover anatomic pathology, cytopathology, molecular pathology, and the overall management and operation of the medical laboratory along with other disciplines. The CAP updates the checklist annually to reflect the latest in laboratory medicine. For example, the CAP has added molecular pathology guidelines that emphasize next generation sequencing as a leading-edge, extensive analysis to detect genomic changes.

“Robert” Yoshiyuki Osamura, MD, PhD, AAS, FCAP, of Nippon Koukan Hospital, Keio University School of Medicine, Kawasaki and Tokyo, and a CAP member, attended the laboratory inspector training and said it will broaden and enhance his knowledge of pathology and laboratory medicine, even as a long-practicing pathologist and a current CAP inspector.

“I try to keep learning constantly,” said Dr. Osamura, “and always want to keep up with best practices and standards to know that my laboratory is operating efficiently and effectively so we can give our patients the highest quality of care.”

After more extensive training sessions and the completion of an exam, the pathologists in Dr. Osamura’s session will begin to conduct onsite inspections of other medical laboratories on behalf of the CAP. He is familiar with the process as his medical laboratory is already CAP accredited. Ten other pathologists in the September 28 training also come from CAP-accredited laboratories. The other 10 participants come from laboratories that will soon be pursuing CAP accreditation and this training will prepare them for that process, which typically takes about one year to complete.

Dr. Osamura said, “Participating in the CAP accreditation inspector training is an important step in the quality improvement journey. The CAP’s peer-based inspection process provides an opportunity for inspectors to share their knowledge in addition to learning from the laboratory being inspected.”

Bharati S. Jhaveri, MD, FCAP, and chair of the CAP’s Council on Accreditation, led the training in Tokyo and was excited to work with Japanese pathologists and teach them more about the CAP laboratory accreditation program.

“CAP-accredited laboratories are held to the highest standards of laboratory medicine,” said Dr. Jhaveri. “It was a great experience to partner with other pathologists and share techniques that will help laboratories here in Japan—I think we can both learn a lot from one another.”

The CAP—the world’s largest organization of pathologists certified by the American Board of Pathology—advocates on behalf of their member pathologists through legislative action in the United States and provides a wide range of educational opportunities to pathologists internationally. Its laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs help ensure the highest quality and safety practices in the more than 8,000 accredited laboratories throughout the world.

Japanese company CGIkk helps clinical laboratories institute and maintain quality management systems through staff education as well as software and information development. They were the first to support and implement CAP accreditation in Japan.

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, read the CAP Annual Report at cap.org.