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Pathology - Quantity of Tissue Submission

Do the standards require all tissue removed during surgery to be submitted to Pathology?  

Any examples are for illustrative purposes only.

There are standards regarding submission of tissue from surgery to pathology in the laboratory manual. QSA.13.01.01 EP1, requires that all specimens, except those identified by the clinical staff as part of EP2, are routinely sent to a pathologist for evaluation. QSA.13.01.01 EP2 states that the clinical staff, in consultation with a pathologist, decides the exceptions to submitting specimens removed during a surgical procedure to the laboratory.

The medical staff and pathologist(s) should approve the tissue exemption list for the institution in writing. Exceptions are made only when the quality of care has not been compromised by the exception, when another suitable means of verifying the removal has been routinely used, and when there is an authenticated operative or other official report that documents the removal.
Manual: Laboratory
Chapter: Quality System Assessment for Nonwaived Testing QSA
First published date: April 11, 2016 This Standards FAQ was first published on this date.
This page was last updated on October 27, 2021
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