ABPath Laboratory Management 3

Question 1

Which accreditation body offers the deemed-status inspection program most commonly used by U.S. pathology laboratories?

Accepted Answer

College of American Pathologists (CAP)

Answer

CAP holds CMS deemed status and inspects labs for CLIA compliance through its accreditation program.

Question 2

The interval between specimen receipt and result reporting is called:

Accepted Answer

Turnaround time

Answer

Turnaround time (TAT) measures elapsed time from specimen receipt to result availability.

Question 3

Delta checks are used primarily to detect:

Accepted Answer

Significant changes in a patient's result compared to prior results, flagging possible errors

Answer

A delta check compares a current result to the patient's previous value to catch specimen mix-ups or errors.

Question 4

Which document establishes standardized formatting and content for laboratory procedures in the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

A CLSI-formatted standard operating procedure

Answer

CLSI provides consensus guidelines for writing standardized SOPs used in clinical laboratories.

Question 5

A critical (panic) value should be:

Accepted Answer

Communicated immediately to a responsible caregiver with documented read-back

Answer

Critical values require immediate notification with documented read-back to ensure patient safety.

American Board of Pathology (ABPath) Practice Test