Which organization inspects and accredits medical laboratories?

• A. World Health Organization
• B. The Joint Commission
• C. CAP
• D. FDA

Answer: (C)

Lab accreditation is a peer-driven quality review process where experienced professionals visit a facility to verify that testing processes, personnel, equipment, safety, and quality management meet strict standards. The organization that does this for medical laboratories is the College of American Pathologists, which operates a Laboratory Accreditation Program based on on-site inspections and rigorous documentation review. This program is specifically focused on laboratory quality and is widely recognized for certifying that labs run to high, consistent standards.

World Health Organization provides international health guidance but does not routinely accredit individual clinical laboratories. The Joint Commission does accredit many healthcare organizations and can include laboratory services, but CAP is the organization most closely associated with lab-specific accreditation. The FDA regulates the safety and efficacy of tests and devices but does not perform accreditation of laboratories.