Medical Laboratory of Southwest Louisiana

In the February issue of CAP Today, the College of American Pathologists recognizes labs with Continuous years of Accreditation Compliance. The Medical Laboratory of Southwest Louisiana was recognized as having more than 40 years of Continuous years of Accreditation Compliance. There are only four Laboratories in Louisiana that have achieved this honor. The Medical Laboratory of Southwest Louisiana is under the director of C. Gregory Bowling MD.

The CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program is an internationally recognized program and the only one of its kind that utilizes teams of practicing laboratory professionals as inspectors. Designed to go well beyond regulatory compliance, the program helps laboratories achieve the highest standards of excellence to positively impact patient care.

The program is based on rigorous accreditation standards that are translated into detailed and focused checklist requirements. The checklists, which provide a quality practice blueprint for laboratories to follow, are used by the inspection teams as a guide to assess the overall management and operation of the laboratory. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program deeming authority.

The goal of the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program is to improve patient safety by advancing the quality of pathology and laboratory services through education, standard setting, and ensuring laboratories meet or exceed regulatory requirements. Upon successful completion of the inspection process, the laboratory is awarded CAP accreditation and becomes part of an exclusive group of more than 6,000 laboratories worldwide that have met the highest standards of excellence.