CAPcasts

A new workshop to help pathologists grow their influence through strategic leadership is on the agenda when members of the College of American Pathologists meet in Washington, DC, this month. The CAP is partnering with the American College of Healthcare Executives to produce the workshop. It offers six CME hours to attendees. The workshop is planned for Saturday, April 26, the first day of the Hou...

Four key policy issues will top the list of priorities the CAP will raise when members go to Capitol Hill on April 29.   If you're concerned about the impact of federal policy on you and your patients, then you need to make time to be among those who visit the nation’s capital April 26–29. Mary Le, MD, FCAP, Chair of the CAP's Federal and State Affairs Committee, previews the CAP's...

Congress hasn't been able to agree on inflationary pay increases for pathologists.  During the College of American Pathologists annual House of Delegates/Pathologists Leadership Summit, members will let Congress know where they stand on Medicare payments and other issues affecting pathologists and patients. The more pathologists who join the CAP on Capitol Hill, the better we can advocate for...

Pathologists from across the US will gather in Washington, DC, in April to discuss important policy issues impacting their practice and patients. It's all a part of the College of American Pathologists annual House of Delegates and Pathologists Leadership Summit happening April 26–29. Sang Wu, MD, FCAP, speaker of the CAP House of Delegates, says delegates are ready to make their voices heard...

Understanding new digital technologies and helping members engage with them in their laboratories are at the top of the informatics and innovation agenda at the College of American Pathologists. M. E. (Doc) de Baca, MD, FCAP, Chair of the CAP's Council on Informatics and Pathology Innovation and a member of the CAP's Board of Governors, discusses the Council’s accomplishments in 2024 and...

Cutting edge training, education about new policies, and programs to develop future pathologists are all at the top of the education agenda at the College of American Pathologists. Kalisha Hill, MD, MBA, FCAP, FASCP, Chair of the CAP's Council on Education and a member of the CAP's Board of Governors discusses the educational wins in 2024 and Council priorities for 2025. CAP Education CA...

This year marks the beginning of a new membership era at the College of American Pathologists, focusing on several priorities, including member recruitment, onboarding and retention, creating a personalized member experience, and facilitating networking and mentoring. Guillermo Martinez-Torres, MD, FCAP, Chair of the Council on Membership and Professional Development, and a member of the CAP'...

Hundreds of new laboratories achieving accreditation, releasing new checklists, and increasing communication with international partners are at the top of the accreditation agenda at the College of American Pathologists. Earle S. Collum, MD, FCAP, Chair of the CAP's Council on Accreditation, discusses the CAP's recent accreditation accomplishments and gives a preview of accreditation pri...

Pathologists have an opportunity to make their voice heard on key policy issues under consideration in Congress. The College of American Pathologists will host its annual House of Delegates and Pathologists Leadership Summit April 26 –29 in Washington, DC. Listen to CAP President Donald Karcher, MD, FCAP, share why pathologists should attend the annual summit and his experience advocating for path...

Leading the development of new proficiency testing programs for laboratories, the publication of new research, and tracking threats to public health are at the top of the scientific agenda at the College of American Pathologists. In this episode, Council on Scientific Affairs Chair and member of the CAP’s Board of Governors, Bobbi Pritt, MD, MSc, FCAP, highlights the CAP’s scientific accomplishmen...

In this episode, Daniel Owens, Vice President of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia visits Washington, DC, to learn about the CAP's advocacy work in the nation's capital. Learn more: The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia

Throughout 2024, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) advocated on behalf of pathologists to address critical issues, including the oversight of laboratory-developed tests (LDTs), protecting the value of pathology services, opposing private payer interference, and state-level regulation of health insurance. The CAP is now ready to engage on these and other important pathology issues during t...

In this episode, Gladell Paner, MD, FCAP, hosts a dynamic discussion with experts Alison Van Dyke, MD, PhD, FCAP, Rich Moldwin, MD, and Mary Kay Washington, MD, PhD, FCAP, about Cancer PathCHART—a groundbreaking initiative redefining cancer surveillance standards. Learn how this collaborative effort between the CAP, the National Cancer Institute, and global partners harmonizes terminology and upda...

In this deeply personal and insightful CAPcast, Dr. Alison Van Dyke and Dr. Darrell Kirch share their journeys through mental health challenges and discuss the pervasive issue of physician burnout. With a focus on breaking the stigma, they explore the importance of seeking help, fostering open conversations, and building supportive communities. They also highlight systemic changes in medical train...

In this episode, Dr. Juanita Evans interviews Dr. Michael Williams on his journey of building a platform to amplify diverse voices in pathology. Together, they discuss the challenges and triumphs of fostering inclusivity in healthcare, highlighting how representation reshapes patient care, medical education, and the future of medicine. Support the CAP Foundation this giving season to help improve...

Insurer interference is on the rise, creating barriers for patients to access medical care. Insurer interference often happens under the guise of cost-cutting measures for patients, but pathologists report an increase in disruptions to providing timely diagnosis and medical care for their patients. In this CAPcast, we discuss how insurer interference impacts medical treatment with Dr. Theresa Emor...

Dr. Joel Moncur is joined by a panel of distinguished experts to discuss the groundbreaking journey of molecular proficiency testing programs, including next-generation sequencing (NGS). Drs. Wayne Grody, Karl Voelkerding, and Jason Merker discuss the impact these programs have on laboratories, patient care, and regulatory compliance, as well as the role of molecular pathology in shaping the futur...

In this CAPcast episode, Dr. Gladell Paner speaks with two GI and liver pathologists, Dr. William Chopp and Dr. John Hart, as they explore the use of the CAP hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) reporting protocol in both academic and private practice settings. Tune in as Dr. Chopp discusses the evolution of HCC reporting standards and how the protocol adapts to new data. Dr. Hart shares insights on syn...

The perception of pathology as one of medicine's best-kept secrets underscores the growing concern that medical students are not exposed to it early enough. To highlight the specialty's clinical importance, Dr. Swati Bhardwaj recently sat down with CAP members Dr. Valerie Fitzhugh, Dr. Gary Procop, Dr. Bronwyn Bryant, and Dr. Kalisha Hill to talk about current efforts to improve patholog...

In this CAPcast episode, we discuss the CAP's accuracy-based proficiency testing (PT) programs with experts Dr. David Sacks and Dr. Andy Hoofnagle. Dive into the history and evolution of accuracy-based PT, which uses advanced techniques to ensure lab results meet rigorous national and international standards. Learn how these programs revolutionized hemoglobin A1C testing and explore the futur...

Genomic studies center on detecting and excluding single nucleotide variants. While evaluation of structural variants remains most often performed by traditional cytogenetic approaches, these unaddressed blind spots in cytogenetic studies leave room to improve detection of clinically relevant structural variants through other methodologies including optical genome mapping, or OGM. OGM is an imagin...

In this episode, members of the CAP's New-in-Practice Committee share valuable advice for effective communication with non-pathology colleagues. Dr. Esther Yoon, Dr. Hafsa Nebbache, and Dr. Jennifer Woo discuss their personal experiences, survey insights, and strategies for building strong relationships with clinicians, handling challenging conversations, and improving patient care through be...

The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) final rule outlines new regulations for tests developed and used within a single laboratory. In this episode, we will discuss the newly proposed rule and the CAP's ongoing advocacy efforts to protect pathologists and ensure patients have access to the tests they need for quality care.

In this CAPcast episode, Gladell Paner, MD, FCAP, discusses the renaming of low-grade prostate cancer with genitourinary pathologists Ming Zhou, MD, FCAP, and Rajal Shah, MD, FCAP. They explore the history, benefits, and challenges of removing the cancer label from Grade Group 1 prostate cancer and its potential impact on patient care, pathologist practices, and the broader healthcare system.

While blood transfusion safeguards are highly effective, they're not completely infallible. If new information arises suggesting an unsuitable blood unit was collected and then unknowingly transfused, the blood bank must undertake a “lookback,” or a process of investigating and identifying prior donations from the same donor. This episode features a discussion on lookbacks between Dr. Alexis...