The Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) has approved the College of American Pathologists (CAP) as an accrediting organization for laboratories providing histocompatibility services for cellular therapy transplant patients. The CAP will be accepted in FACT Accreditation applications and included in FACT Standards because of the approval.
“The CAP has made a significant commitment to complying with FACT requirements for such designation and has made all necessary revisions to standards and checklists. FACT appreciates the amount of time and effort that went into these changes recommended by the HLA Typing Accreditation Committee,” said Joseph Schwartz, MD and chair of the FACT HLA Accreditation Committee.
FACT establishes standards for high-quality patient care and laboratory practice in cellular therapies and regenerative medicine. It promotes improvement and progress by establishing minimum standards, providing education, and inspecting and accrediting programs worldwide.
“The CAP’s Laboratory Accreditation Program accredits the entire spectrum of laboratory test disciplines using the most scientifically rigorous customized checklist requirements that are the basis of on-site laboratory inspections,” said Bharati Jhaveri, MD, FCAP, chair of the CAP Council on Accreditation. “We will include FACT during review and revision of our own standards and checklists on an annual basis to ensure continued appropriateness for inclusion in FACT Standards and Accreditation Program.”
