Hospital Maintains Three-Decade-Long Accreditation

Columbus Community Hospital is proud to announce its laboratory has maintained accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) for more than 30 years. The hospital received its latest accreditation after a two-day, on-site inspection. 

CAP is the world’s largest institution of board-certified pathologists and the leading accreditation and proficiency testing program provider. The peer-to-peer accreditation process ensures the highest standard of care for all laboratory patients.

As part of the accreditation process, inspectors examine the lab’s staff qualifications, equipment, facilities, safety programs and record and overall management. They also inspect its records and quality control of procedures for the two preceding years. According to the evaluation, the hospital’s lab performed exceedingly well in several areas, including staff training, competency and new instrument validation.

The federal government recognizes the CAP program as equal to or more strict and precise than its inspection program. The hospital is one of more than 8,000 CAP-accredited facilities worldwide, receiving its first certification more than 30 years ago.

“Our laboratory’s continuous CAP accreditation is a reflection of our professionals’ commitment to excellence and daily execution of technical standards to deliver the best care for our patients and community,” said Keith Luedders, vice president of ancillary services.

The hospital’s laboratory technicians and medical laboratory scientists perform a full range of testing capabilities. According to the CAP, laboratory tests are the most cost-effective, least invasive source of objective information used in clinical decision-making. They drive 75% of clinical decisions, from diagnosis through therapy and prognosis.

The hospital is proud of its laboratory professionals for working hard to keep up with changing regulations and provide accurate test results to ensure proper diagnoses.

Of the hospital’s available lab services, its microbiology capability and molecular testing have proven to be a significant asset during the past two years amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Lab professionals could process the results of a COVID-19 test and receive the results in hours, instead of days, compared to other testing sites.

“Laboratorians are a quiet group of people who do a lot of heavy diagnostic lifting,” said Dr. Thomas Buttolph, laboratory medical director. “I think patients understand that even more since the pandemic. Columbus’ continuous accreditation reflects the diligent work of highly professional staff members who I am proud to work with.”

Buttolph and Zoann Braasch, clinical director, lead the lab. They currently have 15 laboratory technicians and 16 phlebotomists, and they plan to increase the team by the end of the year.

For more information on the hospital’s laboratory services, visit columbushosp.org.