If a clinical laboratory receives a "blind unknown" for proficiency testing (PT), it is most likely sent by which private accrediting agency?

Question

a. CLSI
b. National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)
c. College of American Pathologists (CAP)
d. American Society of Consultant Phar-macists (ASCP)

Answer 1

C
Laboratories are required to participate in a PT program for each analyte (test) for which a pro-gram is available, and the laboratory must maintain an average score of 80% to maintain licensure in any subspecialty area. The federal government no longer maintains a PT program, but some states, such as New York, as well as several private accrediting agencies, such as CAP, send out "blind unknowns.". These unknowns are to be treated exactly as patient specimens, from accessioning into the laboratory computer or manual logbook through work-up and reporting of the results. The testing personnel and laboratory director are required to sign a statement when the PT is completed, attesting to the fact that the specimen was handled exactly like a patient specimen. In this way, PT specimens serve to establish the accuracy and reproducibility of a la-boratory's day-to-day performance.