In 2022, it was announced that an overhaul of proficiency testing (PT) measures would go into effect on July 11th of 2024 and will be implemented in labs in January of 2025. This update will mark the first significant update since 1992 and promises to bring many changes to how laboratory and health organizations handle inspections and PT.

Specifically, laboratories will want to take notice of the addition of 29 new analytes and the removal of five which were deemed to not be utilized often. (To read which specific analytes are being added and taken away, be sure to check out this article by the ACHC)

Overall, these changes to rules will help in improving the overall quality of testing but they will mean that testing is more stringent. Organizations can largely expect to see inspections proceed as before but with the new CLIA rules being part of the evaluation process beginning in 2025.

How should you prepare?

If your organization is already accredited, the chances are you or your lab personnel have already been informed by an accrediting agency. If your laboratory is nonaccredited, however, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the revised list of regulated analytes and PT testing criteria. It remains to be seen whether these changes will affect any of the most commonly cited inspection deficiencies. For more details, refer to this CLIA Top 10 Deficiencies document.

If you’d like to learn more about how StaffReady Competency can elevate your operations and provide greater peace of mind come inspection time, you can book a meeting to talk to one of our solutions experts here.