Notification to CAP-Accredited Laboratories: All Common Checklist Customization

To College of American Pathologists (CAP) Accredited Laboratories and Inspectors:

As a service to CAP-accredited laboratories, the CAP is pleased to announce the following notification regarding the customization of the All Common Checklist (COM):

Effective June 11, 2018, we have customized the COM checklist to reflect individualized laboratory test menus based on the sub-disciplines listed in a laboratory section/department. We developed this new feature based on customer feedback that laboratory sections were receiving COM requirements not applicable to them.

What does this change mean to your laboratory?

• The next time you receive customized checklists with your inspection materials or download a checklist online, you may notice a slimmer COM checklist.
• The COM checklists used for different sections within your laboratory may contain different numbers of requirements.
• The change impacts some types of testing more than others.
  • Laboratory sections performing only anatomic pathology processing, non-gynecological cytopathology, waived point-of-care testing, or donor services will notice significantly fewer COM checklist requirements.
  • Laboratory sections performing clinical testing, such as chemistry, immunology, and hematology will have fewer or no changes in the number of COM checklist requirements.
  • Laboratory sections performing clinical testing, such as chemistry, immunology, and hematology will have fewer or no changes in the number of COM checklist requirements.

The CAP is your single source for achieving and maintaining regulatory compliance. Through robust proficiency testing, ongoing educational programs, customized compliance checklists, and a peer model for inspections, the CAP helps your laboratory achieve continuous compliance and operate at peak performance.

Questions? Contact us at 800-323-4040 or accred@cap.org.