College of American Pathologists supports Latin American laboratories with rigor of medical laboratory accreditation

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the diagnostic medicine company, Fleury, are hosting a laboratory preparation program for approximately 200 pathologists, quality managers, laboratory supervisors, and laboratory professionals from across the region Saturday, Nov. 9, in Sao Paulo.

The daylong intensive program will help guide medical laboratory professionals through the CAP accreditation requirements while teaching practical tips to assess competency and ensure quality and safety for patients. The event is reserved for laboratories preparing for or currently undergoing the accreditation process.

The CAP’s accreditation program is internationally recognized as maintaining the highest standards for laboratory quality and having the most up-to-date guidelines regarding diagnostic testing for diseases like cancer. The CAP checklists cover clinical pathology, anatomic pathology, cytopathology, molecular pathology, along with other disciplines plus the overall management and operation of the medical laboratory.

A panel of four expert speakers will cover general laboratory best practices applicable to all laboratory types along with some pathology subspecialties and disciplines throughout the day including cytopathology, microbiology, hematology, and chemistry. The speakers will cover these areas and the overall CAP accreditation process along with proficiency testing, which laboratories use to self-assess their diagnostic equipment and best practices.

Bharati Jhaveri, MD, FCAP, and the former chair of the CAP Council on Accreditation, is leading several of the day’s sessions. She says that hands-on learning and working side-by-side with peers in different laboratory settings is one of the most important aspects of the program that attendees can take back to share with their laboratories.

“CAP accreditation is sought internationally, and as new laboratories decide and prepare to get accredited, a prep seminar is helpful in answering many questions that the laboratory may be trying to understand—they can have direct dialogue with CAP members about their goals,” says Dr. Jhaveri.

Leonas Bekeris, MD, FCAP, will speak on anatomic pathology and cytopathology at the event and will review frequently cited deficiencies and what laboratories can do to avoid any quality missteps.

“No matter where you are, all laboratory personnel are deeply interested in running an efficient laboratory while maintaining a very high level of quality and service,” says Dr. Bekeris. “Patient welfare is always the main focus point of all good laboratories.”

The CAP provides approximately 20,000 laboratories in 100 countries with services including proficiency testing and accreditation; the CAP accredits more than 8,000 laboratories worldwide. It partners with regional laboratories like Fleury to provide educational opportunities in helping support its mission to foster excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine.

Edgar Gil Rizzati, MD, is the medical and technical executive director at Fleury in Sao Paulo and considers the event an excellent opportunity for laboratory professionals from the area to keep up to date on the latest in quality improvement and patient safety.

“Physicians, scientists, technical consultants, and laboratory technicians will be able to discuss specific questions about the 2019 CAP checklists to guarantee compliance in the next internal and external inspections,” says Dr. Rizzati.

He continues, “For our patients, being CAP-accredited means that distinguished specialists from the best accreditation program in the world have verified and confirmed that the diagnostic tests we provide follow internationally recognized best practices and quality standards.”

The program will take place at Fleury Saturday, Nov. 9, from 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at Av. Gen. Valdomiro de Lima, 508–Jabaquara, Sao Paulo.

The CAP hosts a range of international educational symposiums throughout the year, including upcoming events in Singapore Nov. 16, South Korea Nov. 18, and Taiwan Nov. 23.

About the College of American Pathologists

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.

About Fleury Medicina e Saúde

Fleury is committed to its vision of health and well-being fully realize their potential as well as its mission to provide even more complete and integrated solutions for health care management and personal well-being characterized by excellence, humanity and sustainability.

Through its commitment to laboratory quality standards, Fleury became Certified in ISO 9001 in 1999, ISO 14001 in 2002, and PALC in 2010. In addition, Fleury’s main technical area in São Paulo became accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in 2007 and Fleury recently added the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program for its clinical laboratory services at Hospital Sirio Libanes. For more information, please visit http://ri.fleury.com.br.

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