College Of American Pathologists (CAP) Releases 2016 Annual Report Detailing Progress With Improving Patient Care, Advocating For The Specialty, And Advancing Quality

"At a time of great debate and change surrounding health care, pathologists are in a unique position to provide patients with certainty during uncertain times,'' said CAP President Richard C. Friedberg, MD, PhD, FCAP. "This report details how the outstanding work of our members and the CAP's committees and employees advanced unparalleled improvements in pathology services in 2016."

Among the achievements and milestones outlined in the Annual Report:

• The CAP saw significant growth in proficiency testing (PT) services—unknown samples sent to laboratories to monitor their performance—with 25 new tests added in 2016 and over 650 programs overall, more than any PT provider;
• PT program growth resulted in more than 23,000 total laboratories in more than 100 countries using CAP PT to ensure the accuracy and reliability of their testing;
• Almost 8,000 laboratories worldwide are CAP accredited, demonstrating a commitment to the most stringent worldwide inspection processes in laboratory quality
• CAP laboratory inspection teams logged 129,896 hours during 2016 inspections;
• CAP offered 549 live and online education courses and over 58,000 CME activities were completed by physicians.
• A full 94% of newly board-certified pathologists became CAP fellows and 80 percent of pathology residents were CAP members.
• CAP advocacy efforts protected members' interests and ensured quality measures for patients and pathologists alike
• CAP began developing its Pathologists Quality Registry to ease compliance and assist all pathologists with new value-based payment models. The registry will be available in the second half of 2017.

The annual report also includes stories of CAP member physicians who are advancing quality, demonstrating collaborative progress in health care, and creating the future of research and medicine. You can access the annual report here.

About the College of American Pathologists
As the world's largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. For more information, read the CAP Annual Report at cap.org.

SOURCE College of American Pathologists