to main content Leading Laboratories | The Joint Commission

What is a Leading Laboratory?

Leading Laboratories is a unique designation exclusively for Joint Commission-accredited laboratories that want to elevate and increase visibility of the collaborative work of the medical laboratory team among clinical colleagues, hospital leadership, and patients.

The program, developed in collaboration with the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), is the gold standard for laboratory excellence and provides visible and public recognition of a laboratory’s meaningful achievements in improving patient outcomes.

The designation supports laboratories that demonstrate excellence in four key areas:  

Elevating quality outcomes

Cultivating trusted leadership 

Supporting professional development 

Promoting laboratory visibility 

Learn More About Leading Laboratories

The Leading Laboratory designation supports a positive, patient-centric mission, increasing the visibility of laboratory leadership and the vital role of laboratories in a patient’s health care journey.

Leading Laboratories was developed and refined by laboratory leaders. The designation is accomplished through a set of criteria designed to quantify and exhibit the capability of a given laboratory to achieve high quality outcomes, assure professional development, engage in trusted leadership, and earn laboratory visibility.

Listen to podcastView white paper

Benefits of Being a Leading Laboratory

Torrance Memorial Medical Center is the number one hospital in the Los Angeles South Bay region. Its laboratory team of about 200 staff processes more than 12 million tests per year, and a majority of clinical decisions in the hospital rely on those tests.

In such busy, high-pressure conditions, gaining recognition and standing out from the crowd can seem like an impossible task.

That’s where the Joint Commission and American Society for Clinical Pathology’s Leading Laboratory designation comes in. By prioritizing excellence and standardization in the lab, the program helps pave a sustainable pathway for your lab’s future while attracting the recognition it deserves.

Torrance Memorial Medical Center shares lessons learned about applying for the Leading Laboratories recognition and the benefits of becoming the first recognized laboratory.

Watch webinarRead white paper

Become a Leading Laboratory

Laboratories interested in becoming a Leading Laboratory can learn more about the eligibility requirements, the application process, and the resources available to publicize this achievement.
Explore application processPublicity kit

Joint Commission Laboratory Accreditation

Joint Commission laboratory accreditation provides organizations the foundation for their journey to achieve the Leading Laboratories recognition. Through accreditation, organizations identify risks and process improvement opportunities that are foundational to the very first component of leading laboratories—quality outcomes.

All Joint Commission Accredited Laboratories are eligible for the Leading Laboratories program and can pursue the designation for the outstanding work that they do that goes above and beyond.

Talk to a Team Member

If you would like to speak with us to learn more about this program as well as eligibility requirements, please complete the form below and our team will reach out to you directly: