CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

36
ESSENTIALS OF CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
This differs from the agencies that may require that individual programs be
separately accredited by agencies such as AST, NAACLS and AARC even if the
educational facility is also COC accredited. It should be noted that in the case of
laboratory educational programs, some certification agencies such as ASCP for
laboratory workers will only provide for certification of candidates who have
completed an NAACLS-accredited program.
Facility and Departmental Licensure and Accreditation
Health care facilities and educational institutions are accredited and licensed
separately and independently of laboratory personnel credentialing. In most, if
not all, states, hospitals and medical clinics as well as physician’s offices must
be licensed. And sometimes individual and specialized departments within the
health care facility must be separately licensed based on state or federal regulations.
In addition, a veritable host of other organizations will provide accreditation
for individual departments within the hospital. As an example, the medical
laboratory is almost always required by most states to be licensed or is at least
in some way regulated through state agencies.
But some departments within the clinical laboratory might also be required
to become licensed, such as those performing nuclear medicine procedures. In
addition, departments may seek voluntary accreditation for increased status on a
categorical basis (Table 2-2). And quite frequently, the laboratory as a whole will
also be accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) with its own
set of professional standards. Some federal agencies such as the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforce regulations and inspections
by local fire departments designed to protect the health of workers. These two
Table 2-2 Accreditation Agencies for Health Care Facilities
and Educational Programs
Acronym
AABB
CAP
CAAHEP
COC
COLA
CHEA
TJC
NAACLS
NCCA
Title
American Association of Blood Banks (blood bank accreditation)
College of American Pathologists (laboratory accreditation)
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
Commission on Colleges (regional [southern] accreditation for higher education)
Commission on Offi ce Laboratory Accreditation (physician’s offi ce laboratories)
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (nonprofi t organization of colleges and
universities serving as the national advocate for voluntary self-regulation through
accreditation)
The Joint Commission (evaluates and accredits hospital laboratory services and
freestanding laboratories)
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (international agency
for accreditation and approval of educational programs in the clinical laboratory
sciences and related health professions)
National Commission for Certifying Agencies (accreditation of a variety of
certification programs/organizations that assess professional competence)
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