title: Wisconsin Cytology Proficiency Testing Program. Results of voluntary testing in 1994.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Wisconsin Cytology Proficiency Testing Program (WCPTP) was developed cooperatively by the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, the Wisconsin Society of Pathologists and the Wisconsin Society of Cytology to enable pathologists and cytotechnologists in Wisconsin to meet Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act of 1988 (CLIA '88) requirements for proficiency testing (PT).
  
  
  METHODS
  A joint steering committee designed the WCPTP to comply with all CLIA '88 regulations. The WCPTP application to the Health Care Financing Administration received tentative approval in May 1994. In 1994, mock PT was conducted at meetings of both state societies, and voluntary, on-site PT was conducted at 19 laboratories.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Each of the 119 participants (49 pathologists, 70 cytotechnologists) was tested with sets of 10 glass slides, each representing one of four specified categories: A, unsatisfactory; B, normal/benign; C, low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; and D, high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and cancer. The failure rate for pathologists was 22.5% (11/49) and for cytotechnologists, 1.4% (1/70). The CLIA '88 scoring system for pathologists is more stringent. If cytotechnologists were scored as pathologists, 10% (7/70) would have failed. Using the cytotechnologist grid, 14.5% (7/49) of the pathologists would have failed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This voluntary program provided some preliminary insights into the issues related to PT evaluation of personnel competence and diagnostic criteria.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, Madison 53706, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Shalkham
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Inhorn
mesh_terms: D003581:Cytodiagnosis / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D010336:Pathology / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012958:Societies, Scientific; D014922:Wisconsin