System Inspection Option

As health systems grow, standardizing laboratory practices across all sites can improve efficiency, patient satisfaction, quality of care, and overall clinical operations. With our System Inspection Option, the CAP will not only assure that you are meeting regulatory requirements, but through our unique peer inspection model using a team of inspectors from another integrated care network, we’ll also provide an independent assessment of the degree of standardization across your laboratory system.

The System Inspection Option offers participants:

• The same edition of the Accreditation Checklists across all laboratories
• A true peer inspection experience by other integrated health care networks
• Consistent inspectors across all disciplines and sites plus a CAP Inspection Specialist
• All sites are inspected within the same week
• A global summation conference to focus and prioritize work efforts across the system
• An assessment of integrated services to promote standardization
• Dedicated Technical Specialist and Regional Commissioner ensure a consistent post-inspection review process

One System Inspection Means One Reciprocal Team

Never to be overlooked, a primary benefit of the System Inspection Option is that it allows you to put all your laboratories on the same inspection cycle, thereby reducing the number of times throughout the accreditation cycle when you have an open inspection window. Perhaps more importantly, your entire enterprise would only be required to assemble one inspection team every 18 to 24 months.

• A pre-inspection evaluation—conducted by a CAP inspection specialist—ensures an inspection team appropriate in size and scope
• A CAP inspection specialist participates in the on-site inspection to facilitate communication and ensure a consistent process
• A post inspection global summation conference provides system-level feedback on integration and system-level issues. This is in addition to the site-specific summation conferences
• Laboratories receive a CAP system inspection certificate to signify successful participation
• The System Inspection Option follows the same two-year cycle using the peer-based inspection model and checklist requirements of the Laboratory Accreditation Program

Highly integrated laboratory systems are eligible for the CAP System Inspection Option if you have two or more full-service laboratories located within a three-hour driving distance from a centrally located laboratory, have a common administration and ownership, are enrolled in the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, and meet six of the eight following criteria:

• One set of administrative policies for the system
• Single management team for the system
• System-wide competency assessment program
• System-wide quality improvement program
• System-wide quality control program
• Patient data managed using a common approach
• System-wide safety program
• System-wide specimen collection manual

We understand that new systems may not be fully integrated for each of these criteria initially; however, we expect that the system will progress toward full integration over time.

There is a one-time application fee in addition to a yearly system fee based on the number of laboratories in your system. This is in addition to each laboratory’s individual accreditation fees.