Quality, accuracy, and patient safety are at the core of everything we do at Hawaii Pathologists’ Laboratory. We have maintained and exceeded the highest standards of laboratory testing and regulatory compliance throughout our 50 plus years serving Hawaii’s healthcare community. Patients and providers can feel confident knowing that our laboratory is both CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited, ensuring accurate and dependable pathology results.

All clinical laboratories in the United States must comply with the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), which establish federal quality standards for laboratories performing testing on human specimens. CLIA regulations are designed to ensure that laboratory results are accurate, reliable, and delivered in a timely manner to support quality patient care.

CLIA certification can be thought of as a laboratory’s version of a restaurant health inspection. Just as restaurants are regularly evaluated to ensure food is prepared safely, laboratories undergo rigorous inspections to verify that testing is being performed correctly, equipment is functioning properly, staff are qualified, and results can be trusted.

In addition to CLIA certification, HPL is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), a distinction that reflects our commitment to excellence beyond minimum regulatory requirements. CAP accreditation is recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as meeting or exceeding CLIA standards.

Think of CLIA certification as earning a passing grade on a restaurant inspection, while CAP accreditation is like earning a prestigious culinary award. CAP standards often exceed minimum CLIA requirements, promoting continuous improvement and excellence in laboratory practice.

Though CLIA certification and CAP accreditation happen every two years, is not a one-time achievement. Successfully passing and maintaining CLIA certification and CAP accreditation requires a continuous commitment to quality, regulatory compliance, staff training, documentation, and ongoing performance monitoring.

Lab testing personnel undergo documented competency assessments at required intervals. These evaluations verify that staff members maintain the knowledge, technical skills, and proficiency necessary to perform testing accurately and consistently.

HPL participates in ongoing proficiency testing programs to validate the accuracy and reliability of our testing processes. In this process, unknown samples are sent to the lab for testing, and the results are compared with those from other accredited laboratories to maintain certification and accreditation.

Through this ongoing commitment, Hawaii Pathologists’ Laboratory ensures that physicians, healthcare organizations, and patients receive dependable laboratory results that support informed clinical decisions and exceptional patient care.

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