ANSI and ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board to Host Free Webinar in Celebration of World Accreditation Day 2015

Government and Private-Sector Experts Will Discuss How Accreditation Supports the Delivery of Health and Social Care

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) will hold a free webinar to mark World Accreditation Day 2015, a global celebration promoted each year by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). ANSI and the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board are presenting the webinar to inform a broad audience of stakeholders about the many benefits of accreditation.

World Accreditation Day is a global initiative jointly established by IAF and ILAC to raise awareness of the value of accreditation-related activities. Each year on June 9, IAF and ILAC invite their national representatives from around the world to mark the occasion with dedicated celebrations that honor and communicate the important role accreditation plays in the global standards and conformance community.

This year's celebration focuses on the theme of "Accreditation: Supporting the Delivery of Health and Social Care." Accreditation serves as a key tool for health and social care providers, from the accredited certification of healthcare providers and medical devices, to the accreditation of medical testing laboratories and diagnostic imaging services, to the inspection of social care providers, according to IAF.

Highlighting U.S. support of the global event, the webinar will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. EDT on World Accreditation Day, Tuesday, June 9, 2015. The following leaders from standards developing organizations, certification bodies, certification scheme owners, government agencies, and industry groups will offer their insights:

• Lane Hallenbeck, Vice President, Accreditation Services, ANSI; Chair, International Organization for Standardization Conformity Assessment Committee (ISO CASCO)

• Scott Colburn, Director, CDRH Standards Program, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• Mary Logan, President, Association for the Advancement for Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)

• Kathy Abusow, President and CEO, Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)

• Steve Posnack, Director, Office of Standards and Technology, Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT; Alicia Morton, Director, ONC Health IT Certification Program

• Sharon Stanford, Director, Standards Administration, American Dental Association (ADA)

• Patricia Tanabe, Executive Director, American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification

• Dale Cyr, CEO, American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS)

Speakers will discuss how accreditation facilitates continuous improvements across organizations, impacts consumer confidence, and supports the delivery of health and social care, among other topics. Participants will have the opportunity to take part in a question-and-answer session following the panel discussion.

Online registration for the June 9 webinar is now open. For more information about World Accreditation Day 2015, visit the ILAC and IAF websites.

ANSI and ANAB offer a broad portfolio of third-party accreditation services based on international standards, including programs for product certification bodies, personnel certification bodies, education and training certificate-issuing bodies, greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies, management systems certification bodies, calibration and testing laboratories, inspection bodies, reference material producers, proficiency test providers, forensic testing laboratories and inspection agencies, and medical laboratories and medical examiners. ANSI is also the sole accreditor of standards developers that sponsor American National Standards and Technical Advisory Groups that formulate U.S. positions in relation to ISO activities. For more information about ANSI's accreditation work, visit www.ansi.org/accreditation.

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

About the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board

The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary accreditation body that accredits laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025), management system certification bodies (ISO/IEC 17021), reference material producers (ISO Guide 34), inspection bodies (ISO/IEC 17020), medical labs (ISO 15189), and proficiency test providers (ISO/IEC 17043). ANAB also has a forensic program for laboratories and crime scene units that use these standards. Product and Personnel Certification accreditation programs are also available in conjunction with ANSI for ISO/IEC 17065 and ISO/IEC 17024. Training programs are offered to most of the standards for which they provide accreditation. The brand names formerly known as ACLASS and FQS have now been enveloped into the ANAB brand.

ANAB is signatory to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) Multilateral Recognition Arrangement and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) mutual recognition arrangement. Additionally, ANAB maintains recognition through the regional cooperations under IAF and ILAC such as IAAC and APLAC.