Monitoring anatomic pathology practice through quality assurance measures.

This article describes the art and science of continuous performance measurement and applications for quality improvement in anatomic pathology. Numerous novel benchmarks derived from multi-institutional data acquired from the College of American Pathologists Q-Probes quality improvement program are illustrated as they relate to specific disciplines in anatomic pathology and aspects of the total testing cycle. Comparative data quantifying performance deficiencies and opportunities for practice improvement are also identified.