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CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program Reaches New Milestone. The College of American Pathologists' (CAP) Laboratory Accreditation Program now encompasses more than 8,500 laboratories worldwide. The program, which the CAP has operated for more than 50 years, uses peer-based inspections conducted by practicing laboratory professionals to evaluate not just whether a lab has written policies in place, but whether it has the personnel, equipment, methods, quality controls, and management systems needed to consistently perform testing within its accredited scope. Beyond accreditation, the CAP supports more than 23,000 laboratories globally through proficiency testing, external quality assessment, cancer protocols, and evidence-based guidelines.
For pathology laboratories, the milestone is a useful reminder that accreditation is an ongoing commitment, not a finish line. Maintaining it requires integrating quality expectations, including equipment maintenance, staff competency, document control, method verification, and internal audits, into daily operations throughout the entire accreditation cycle, not just in the lead-up to an inspection. Peer-based external review also offers a valuable perspective, surfacing gaps that internal teams may no longer notice due to familiarity with existing workflows.
VA Expands Oracle EHR Rollout. The Department of Veterans Affairs has deployed Oracle's electronic health record system to three hospitals in Indiana: the Northern Indiana Health Care System's facilities in Fort Wayne and Marion, and the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis, along with 16 associated clinics. The Indiana rollout is the third wave of deployments this year, bringing the total to 11 VA hospitals now running Oracle's EHR in 2026, following earlier rollouts at four sites in Michigan in April and four in Ohio and Kentucky in June. Two additional deployments are planned before year's end, with the VA targeting 13 total sites in 2026.
The current momentum represents a significant turnaround for a project that stalled for three years due to technical errors, patient safety concerns, and mounting costs. EHR vendor Cerner, later acquired by Oracle, originally won the 10-year VA contract in 2018, but by 2020 only six of 170 VA medical centers had gone live with the system, and those sites experienced major performance issues. The VA largely paused deployments in 2023 to renegotiate its Oracle contract and address the problems before resuming the the project with its first new rollouts this past April.
The VA has committed to deploying the Oracle EHR across all of its medical facilities by 2031. The final two 2026 implementations are scheduled for October at the Alaska VA Healthcare System and Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center in Ohio.
CAP26 Annual Meeting Coming This October to Las Vegas. CAP26, The College of American Pathologists' Annual Meeting, is set for October 3–6, 2026 at the Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting brings together pathologists, laboratory professionals, educators, and researchers for scientific sessions, educational workshops, poster presentations, and networking opportunities spanning clinical and anatomic pathology subspecialties. The event emphasizes community, practical education, and the shared commitment to patient outcomes that defines the profession.
Highlights of CAP26 include a keynote from Daniel Kraft, MD, on the AI- and digitally-enabled future of health, medicine, and pathology, as well as a featured session on closing the precision care gap, examining how pathologists, industry partners, and laboratory data can help more patients access and benefit from targeted therapies. The agenda also includes fireside chats, bite-sized sessions, and the annual House of Delegates and Residents Forum meetings.
The Voicebrook team will be onsite and exhibiting at CAP26, and we are excited to meet with attendees!
Founded in 2002, Voicebrook is a trusted leader in pathology workflow innovation, helping laboratories modernize reporting, improve efficiency, and adapt to the evolving demands of patient care.
Our solutions are designed specifically for pathology, combining deep industry expertise with advanced automation, structured data capture, and voice-enabled workflows that reduce friction across the reporting process.
As pathology continues to evolve through digital transformation and AI, Voicebrook remains committed to helping laboratories work smarter, scale sustainably, and stay focused on delivering high-quality care.
