Mountain Health Network laboratories awarded accreditation

The laboratories at Cabell Huntington Hospital (CHH) and St. Mary’s Medical Center (SMMC), members of Mountain Health Network, have been awarded accreditation by the Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP).

The CHH and SMMC laboratories are two of more than 8,000 CAP-accredited facilities nationwide. The lab directors are Krista Denning, MD, professor and chair, Department of Pathology, at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine (CHH), and Thomas Dougherty, MD, associate professor within the Department of Pathology at the MUJCESOM (SMMC).

“Our laboratory teams play a key role in providing highly reliable health care to our community,” said Matthew Brooks, MLS(ASCP)CM, director of clinical laboratory services, MHN. “This CAP accreditation is confirmation of the excellent services our dedicated staff provides every single day.”

The U.S. federal government recognizes the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, begun in the early 1960s, as being equal to or more stringent than the government’s own inspection program. During the CAP accreditation process, designed to ensure the highest standard of care for all laboratory patients, inspectors examine the laboratory’s records and quality control of procedures for the preceding two years. CAP inspectors also examine laboratory staff qualifications, equipment, facilities, safety program and record, and overall management.

For more information about the CHH laboratory, visit www.cabellhuntington.org. For more information about the SMMC laboratory, visit www.st-marys.org.