CAP Announces Advanced Digital Technology for 2012 Programs

NORTHFIELD, Ill., July 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) will introduce online imaging technology, DigitalScope, for use in its laboratory proficiency testing (Surveys) programs in 2012 at the 2011 AACC (American Association for Clinical Chemistry) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, July 26-28. The first product to benefit from the technology, Virtual Peripheral Blood Smear (VPBS), is scheduled to ship on August 1, 2011.

"DigitalScope is a game-changing advancement in whole slide imaging that radically enhances the CAP's Surveys Program," said Charles Roussel, CAP Chief Executive Officer. "It delivers a user experience that is as close as possible to real-life microscopy. DigitalScope enables viewing slides on a computer the same way you would view them on a microscope with advanced zoom, brightness and contrast functions."

The CAP Surveys Program is the world's largest laboratory peer-comparison program in which the CAP provides individual laboratories with unknown specimens for testing. Participants analyze the specimens and return the results for inter-laboratory evaluation. In turn, each laboratory receives an individual performance report and a summary report of the results of all participating laboratories.

The CAP is partnering with Proficiency Testing Service (PTS), which owns and developed DigitalScope, for use of the technology in several Surveys in multiple laboratory disciplines, including:

• Anatomic Pathology
• Andrology
• Bacteriology
• Clinical Microscopy
• Cytology
• Hematology
• Microbiology
• Mycology
• Parasitology

Potential applications extend beyond proficiency testing to include education.

"DigitalScope is similar to a 'Google Earth' for slides," said Nick Serafy, PTS President and Chief Executive Officer. "Scanned whole slide images appear on a computer screen in a manner strikingly close to viewing through a microscope. It eliminates any 'tiling' as the user navigates the image."

On-site at AACC in the CAP's exhibit (Booth #2443) stations will be available to experience DigitalScope. Also, CAP members, physicians who specialize in pathology, will be in the exhibit to speak about the Surveys Programs, running the gamut of laboratory medicine disciplines, e.g., chemistry, hematology and microbiology, and quality management tools.

The College of American Pathologists is a medical society serving more than 17,000 physician members and the laboratory community throughout the world. It is the world's largest association composed exclusively of board-certified pathologists and is widely considered the leader in laboratory quality assurance. The College is an advocate for high-quality and cost-effective patient care.

SOURCE College of American Pathologists