Bethesda, MD (September 22, 2023) – The National Capital Region’s Joint Pathology Center (JPC) is proud to announce its successful College of American Pathologists ISO 15189 accreditation inspection, which took place on September 12-13, 2023. This achievement has resulted in the full re-accreditation of our esteemed clinical laboratory. The JPC is the only Federal government laboratory accredited by the CAP ISO 15189 Program. There are only 66 laboratories worldwide that have CAP ISO accreditation.

The Joint Pathology Center provides critical pathology diagnostic consultative services to the Military Health System (MHS) and Veterans Health Administration (VA) hospitals. Their team of 30 subspecialty pathologists provide definitive diagnosis on the most complex and challenging tissue biopsies and other specimens to ensure that our patients receive the appropriate diagnosis for treatment. CAP ISO accreditation has helped the organization improve its services across the MHS and the VA system.

ISO 15189 – Medical Laboratories is an internationally recognized standard that sets forth stringent requirements for quality and competence within medical laboratory environments. It mandates establishing a robust and reliable quality management system (QMS) to ensure the competence of medical laboratories. CAP ISO 15189 accreditation is considered the gold standard for laboratory accreditation and sets a high bar for high-quality clinical laboratory services supporting patient care.

Commenting on this remarkable achievement, U.S. Air Force Colonel Mark Lyman, Director of the JPC, stated, “The successful ISO 15189 inspection and subsequent re-accreditation underscore our unwavering commitment to maintaining the highest standards of quality and competence in our clinical laboratory. This accomplishment is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our entire team at the JPC.”

ISO 15189 is tailored explicitly for clinical laboratories, differentiating it from other ISO standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025. Compliance with ISO 15189 is vital for clinical laboratories as it ensures laboratory practices’ reliability, competence, integrity, and overall quality. This accreditation is crucial for building trust and credibility with our customers and partners.

The benefits of ISO 15189 accreditation are compliance with legal requirements, international recognition, meeting prerequisites for tender applications, global data consistency, reputation enhancement, competitive advantage, cost savings through efficiency improvements, and proactive risk management in medical testing laboratories.

Maintaining ISO 15189 accreditation involves periodic surveillance and re-assessment. JPC is committed to meeting these requirements to ensure the continued excellence of clinical laboratory services in support of patient care across the MHS and VA systems.