LAS VEGAS (October 3, 2026) — The College of American Pathologists (CAP) will build on its global leadership in accreditation and laboratory quality while pursuing new opportunities in innovation, data, and member value, Interim CEO Akshay Patel said during his State of the CAP Address at CAP26 on Saturday.
Mr. Patel outlined a strategy focused on advancing the specialty, strengthening laboratory quality, and ensuring the CAP continues to meet the same high standards it asks laboratories around the world to achieve.
Below is the text of his prepared remarks:
Good morning. It’s great to be with you. Looking around this room today, I don’t think I’ve ever felt more fortunate to be part of this organization. And that’s because of you. Our members. The people who give your time, your expertise, and your energy to the CAP.
Thank you.
Thank you for what you do for this organization. And more importantly, thank you for what you do every day for the patients we all serve. Because of that, I’ve never been more excited about our future.
And I say that as someone who has been part of the CAP for a long time. In fact, this year marks a milestone. Twenty-five years ago, I joined the College of American Pathologists.
People sometimes ask me the obvious question: Why stay anywhere for this long?
For me, the answer is simple. Purpose. I didn’t begin my career in pathology.
I’m not a physician but my two daughters are well on their way to becoming doctors. One is in her residency, and the other is in her final year of medical school.
Full disclosure… neither chose pathology. After all this time at the CAP, apparently, my influence has limits. But I could not be prouder. Still, my path to health care was different.
Before the CAP, I worked at the Joint Commission, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Deloitte. But being here, I have come to understand what makes this work so important…why the standard we set is so important.
Every day, you help patients and their families make decisions based on laboratory results. And our job is to help make sure that result is right. Simple, but profound. A mission worth believing in.
And that’s why I’m so pleased to report that the CAP enters this next chapter from a position of strength. We are financially sound. Membership has surpassed 20,000. We now have more than 8,500 accredited laboratories worldwide in more than 60 countries.
We now provide proficiency testing to nearly 23,000 laboratories worldwide in more than 100 countries.
Those numbers matter. But they don’t tell the whole story, or capture the impact we’re making, or the importance of what lies ahead. Behind those numbers are pathologists—you are doing extraordinary work. And the CAP is here to support that.
Everything we do at the CAP falls under three strategic themes:
Advance the specialty.
Advance laboratory quality.
And, operate efficiently and effectively.
Let me start with advancing the specialty. And that starts with our members.
When I started at the CAP, the relationship between a pathologist and a professional organization was different. Today, our members have more choices. More demands on their time. That means membership cannot simply be something we offer. It is something we have to earn. To do that, we established a new Member Events Committee to look at how we create greater value through the CAP meetings and events. We are reimagining those events.
We don’t want you to see a meeting or a conference as a once-a-year gathering. Instead, we want to offer meaningful opportunities throughout the year to learn, connect, collaborate, and lead. And we’re advocating for you.
This year, the CAP helped prevent numerous cuts to pathology and laboratory payments across the country, continuously fighting for sustainable Medicare payment.
We also helped expand patient access to vital pathology and laboratory services. However, we have a new fight on our hands as pathology faces some of the most significant threats to payment that we have seen in years.
Rest assured, we will continue to fight for your payment and ensure patients have access to the diagnostic services they need. Because advancing the specialty means making sure pathologists have what they need to succeed… and that patients have access to the diagnostic services they need.
And we will continue to broaden our impact worldwide, connecting communities through the CAP Foundation, mobilizing our resources to expand health equity in medically underserved communities around the globe.
Our second theme is advancing laboratory quality. This is fundamental to who the CAP is.
Today, more than 8,500 laboratories worldwide carry CAP accreditation.
The CAP’s broader quality programs reach many thousands more.
But we are not just expanding our reach. We are exploring new ways to deliver quality that contributes to improved patient outcomes.
And we have a very intentional international strategy that combines our accreditation with the very best local standards.
Quality is ultimately about trust.
And as the CAP’s reach grows, so does our responsibility to earn and maintain that trust.
Our third theme is operating efficiently and effectively.
That may sound less inspiring than advancing the specialty or improving laboratory quality.
But it’s critical. Because our ambitions are only as strong as our ability to deliver on them.
Simply put… If the CAP asks laboratories around the world to meet a high standard, then we have an obligation to hold ourselves to a high standard, too.
That means being candid when we fall short.
Last year, our renewal process was not where it needed to be. We acknowledge that.
And we own it. Our members and customers experienced too many system slowdowns, too many delays, and too much confusion. You deserved better. So, we fixed it.
We call that effort Flawless Order Renewal. And I like that word — flawless — because it makes the expectation clear.
This is what it means for you:
We’re continuing to modernize our technology.
When you choose to invest in proficiency testing and accreditation with the CAP, we want to be sure you have the best customer experience.
We’re improving workflows. We’re clarifying accountability. And we’re building an organization that can move faster without sacrificing quality.
This is not change for change’s sake. Operating efficiently and effectively isn’t simply about fixing what isn’t working. It is also about continually finding better ways to do the work.
And that brings me to something that runs through all three of our themes.
Innovation.
I have spent much of my career at the CAP working at the intersection of technology, operations, and strategy.
Over the years, I have been fortunate to help launch initiatives like e-LAB Solutions.
In the past year, I’ve talked with many of you. And I know how innovation has impacted your laboratories.
As members, you’ve been clear about wanting new, relevant education opportunities…
Customers have told me about the obstacles you face with accreditation…
… The need for new approaches to proficiency testing…
… That our processes should be more user-friendly and efficient.
… and how much time you’re doing paperwork. Time that could be better spent helping patients.
That’s why we’re applying innovation.
Our teams are working on AI agents that will assist you before and during an inspection.
And new solutions that will help laboratories perform online self-inspections.
These are just two examples of innovation we are implementing soon.
Starting over a year ago, with Board of Governors support, we created space and made investments that would allow staff to evolve our culture more strongly around innovation.
As a result, we created momentum for continued innovation and new ways of thinking…
Right now, we are sitting on one of the CAP’s most powerful assets.
Data.
My vision is to leverage this data to shape the future of pathology and laboratory medicine. A key enabler of developing new products and services that will continue to benefit patients, and our members and customers. This isn’t solely about technology.
It is about finding better ways to serve you.
To make us more efficient. Effective. Better.
And that’s the test. That’s how we will measure.
Twenty-five years at the CAP has given me the opportunity to see our work from a lot of different perspectives, including abroad.
I’ve traveled to laboratories in India, China, the Middle East, and elsewhere around the world. And wherever I go, one thing always stays with me: The pride people take in CAP accreditation.
Earlier this year, I was in Dubai. There was a wall on our booth that listed all CAP-accredited laboratories in the region.
And people from those laboratories began gathering in front of the wall to have their pictures taken.
They wanted a picture with their laboratory’s name on that wall. They were proud.
And standing there watching them, I was proud, too. Because moments like that remind you what the CAP accreditation represents.
It isn’t simply a credential. It’s a standard. A standard recognized around the world. A standard that we will keep raising. For our members. For our customers. For laboratories around the world. And most importantly, for the patients who depend on all of us.
It is about the patients you serve every day, and how the CAP supports you in your daily practice.
Let’s watch this video.
Twenty-five years ago, I came to the CAP because I saw an extraordinary organization. I stayed because of the purpose. And today, I have never been more excited about where we can go next.
While there are many unknowns, one thing is clear: the future of medicine is ours to shape.
And the CAP will remain by your side as we navigate what comes next—together.
Thank you very much and enjoy the rest of the meeting!