Proficiency Testing Performance in US Laboratories Results Reported to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 1994 Through 2006

Abstract

Abstract Context.—Beginning in 1994, clinical laboratories performing nonwaived testing were required, under the regulations implementing the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA), to enroll and participate in a proficiency testing (PT) program approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Successful PT performance is a requirement for maintaining CLIA certification to perform testing in certain specialties and subspecialties and for specific analytes. Objective.—To evaluate the PT performance from 1994 through 2006 of hospital and independent laboratories (HI) compared with all other testing sites (AOT) for selected commonly performed tests and analytes. Design.—Proficiency testing data, from 1994 through 2006, were electronically reported to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services by approved PT programs as required by CLIA regulations. Approximately 16 million PT event scores from 36 000 unique testing sites were sorted into 2 groups based on the type of testing fac...