AABB Accreditation to Transition to Electronic PT Failure Reporting Form

AABB’s Accreditation Program will transition to an electronic proficiency testing (PT) failure reporting form, effective Nov. 1. This new system will allow facilities to upload relevant documentation and print a copy of the completed form for their records, streamlining the reporting process.

AABB advises facilities that the electronic form must be completed in a single session; it cannot be saved for later. Laboratories should review necessary information before starting the report to ensure required documentation is on hand.

AABB’s Role in PT Oversight

As a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-approved accrediting organization, AABB is responsible for overseeing the proficiency (PT) program for CLIA-enrolled laboratories, in accordance with 42 CFR Subpart I, Proficiency Testing Programs for Nonwaived Testing.

AABB-accredited laboratories that use AABB as their CLIA provider must notify AABB of any PT failures, regardless of whether the failure is classified as unsuccessful or unsatisfactory.

PT failures are defined as follows:           

• Unsatisfactory: Failure to achieve the minimum required score for an analyte, test, subspecialty or specialty in a single testing event.
• Unsuccessful: Failure to achieve a satisfactory score for an analyte, subspecialty or specialty in two consecutive testing events or two out of three consecutive testing events.

Failures related to ungraded or educational PT challenges, as well as PT failures for non-regulated analytes, must also be reported.