Future-Proof Labs with 10 New CAP Quality Programs

July 27, 2026

Proficiency Testing - CAP

Transcript

Nancy Johnson 0:00

Welcome to Path News Network Daily Edition from the College of American Pathologists. I'm Nancy Johnson. It's Monday, July 27th. Today's top story ... helping labs stay prepared for new technologies, new diseases, and the highest standards of quality. Then we'll preview a few of the stories we're reporting for this week with expert input from CAP members.

Nancy Johnson 0:26

Behind every medical diagnosis is a laboratory test that has to be right. Next month, the CAP will launch 10 new proficiency testing programs designed to give labs the confidence that they're delivering accurate, reliable results. Precision medicine is changing how brain tumors are diagnosed and treated. Some tumors can look nearly identical under a microscope, even though they require different therapies. Dr. Brad Karon, vice chair of the CAP's Council on Scientific Affairs, says one new PT program helps labs ensure those advanced genetic tests are accurate.

Dr. Bradley Karon 1:08

So certainly the methylation-based tumor classification program is just keeping up with where molecular oncology is going, giving labs the chance to, you know, demonstrate accurate performance as what was novel five or ten years ago becomes the routine part of patient care.

Nancy Johnson 1:28

A life-saving multiple myeloma drug can complicate blood testing. And one of the new PT programs is helping labs ensure patients still receive safe transfusions.

Dr. Bradley Karon 1:41

So this is an anti-CD38, it is a therapeutic antibody administered to patients that interferes with routine compatibility testing. And labs have to be able to show that their compatibility testing can detect this and still interpret obviously basic compatibility testing.

Nancy Johnson 2:00

Other new programs are preparing labs for emerging infectious diseases like measles and tropical fever.

Dr. Bradley Karon 2:14

So, again, our Microbiology Committee, the Council on Scientific Affairs, the College of American Pathologists, really the only PT provider, the only organization staying on top as labs are responding to these devastating global and national epidemics and pandemics.

Nancy Johnson 2:33

A quality check is vital for laboratories. They can compare their results with hundreds of other labs and receive expert reviews. This helps ensure patients get test results they can trust.

Dr. Bradley Karon 2:47

That's why so many of our laboratories, the pathologists who run those laboratories, feel that PT testing is an essential piece of their quality program, and it really gives them that confidence to say, well, we've done what we can do internally. Looking externally against a whole bunch of other labs and a group of experts who said, you know, this is how a test should perform.

Nancy Johnson 3:10

The new PT programs will be available at the end of next month. PATH News will bring you comprehensive coverage, and you'll hear from pathologist experts involved in the programs. And now here's a look at some of the stories we're working on this week. Why the Ebola strain ravaging Central Africa is so hard to combat. We hear from Dr. David Schwartz, an epidemiologist and CAP expert working with teams on the ground. Overwhelm, exhaustion, self-doubt, nearly 60% of pathology and lab professionals have reported experiencing burnout. But in a field where diagnoses never take a vacation, Dr. Michael Cohen's upcoming CAP session comes to the rescue. And keeping up with the changing rules of compliance, Dr. Robyn Olney talks through the latest expectations for anatomic pathology labs.

Nancy Johnson 4:10

That does it for the daily edition. Share this newscast with your social media network. And if you're watching this video on YouTube, hit the like button and leave us a comment. And if you've got a story we should be covering, write to us at stories at CAP.org. We're back tomorrow at 5 a.m. Eastern for another episode of the Daily Edition. I'm Nancy Johnson. Have a great day.