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Press release: ASHI and The Joint Commission Announce A Cooperative Agreement

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ASHI and The Joint Commission Announce A Cooperative Agreement


The Joint Commission and the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) announce a cooperative agreement to recognize histocompatibility (HLA) accreditation. ASHI will now be accepted as the deemed accreditor for transplant testing services in Joint Commission facilities, effective July 1, 2011.

ASHI is a professional association in the area of HLA, immunogenetics, and transplantation. ASHI, a not-for-profit organization, established its laboratory accreditation program in 1974 for HLA laboratories, and its accreditation program is administered through the ASHI Accreditation Review Board. They are deemed as an accrediting organization through the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Program. In addition, ASHI accredited labs are recognized by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), The American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation (AFDT, formerly SEOPF) and the states of California, Florida, Oregon and Washington. Previously, ASHI was recognized by The Joint Commission under complementary status.

The cooperative status between The Joint Commission and ASHI will reduce the burdens on health care organizations by eliminating the need for duplicate laboratory surveys for organizations conducting HLA testing, and thereby saving them money by accepting the ASHI accreditation as demonstration of compliance with Joint Commission policies and standards. Because ASHI is recognized by United Network for UNOS/ Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) for transplant testing, Joint Commission accredited laboratories will fulfill the requirements for providing testing services for a UNOS transplant program by utilizing ASHI as an accrediting organization.

ASHI will conduct unannounced surveys in Joint Commission accredited facilities. Whenever possible, Joint Commission laboratory surveyors will survey all other specialties simultaneously for organizations that are accredited by both organizations.

“We are delighted to provide this recognition to ASHI. Both our organizations share the mission of an educational and consistent evaluation of diagnostic services.  ASHI was the first and still remains the largest accrediting organization for HLA labs providing transplant diagnostic services. Our simultaneous laboratory survey will combine our tracer methodology, which looks at the systematic provision of diagnostic services, with their review of the integrated delivery of transplant care.  Both organizations have experience looking at the whole patient care continuum to drive high reliability processes,” says Jennifer Rhamy, M.B.A., M.A., MT (ASCP) SBB, HP, executive director, Laboratory Accreditation Program, The Joint Commission.

“ASHI is very pleased to work with The Joint Commission as detailed in our cooperative agreement.  It combines the strengths of both organizations to provide a consistent approach to the accreditation of HLA labs by utilizing uniform standards and survey dynamics.  It is a win/win for the laboratories and the organizations as well. The harmonization of a single set of standards for these labs is a tremendous step forward for reducing the burden on laboratories and highlighting the focus of both ASHI and The Joint Commission,” says Geoffrey A. Land, Ph.D., HCLD, president, ASHI.

For more information contact Jennifer Rhamy, at jrhamy@jointcommission.org  or 630-792-5754.

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