RUMFORD – The Rumford Hospital Laboratory has been honored by the College of American Pathologists by its selection as a “referee laboratory” for proficiency testing in hematology.

Several times each year CAP-accredited laboratories are required to perform testing on standardized specimens. The results of all participating laboratories are compiled, and the labs are informed if their results differ significantly from the results of the group average.

One area tested is cell identification in hematology. Proficiency in this area cannot be tested by comparing the results with the group average. In cell identification in hematology, a lab’s results are either correct or incorrect. The CAP depends on referee labs to determine whether the testing in cell identification is fair.

The test results are ignored if the referee labs cannot agree on the identification of any given cell.

The Rumford Hospital Laboratory demonstrated a perfect record of performance in cell identification in hematology in 2006.