American College of Pathology


The American College of Pathology, founded in 2012, is a non-profit professional medical association composed of diagnostic pathologists, physicians, and laboratory professionals. It is based in Houston, TX, with offices in Houston, TX, and Washington, D.C. The college publishes The Journal of the American College of Pathology and The ACP Bulletin.

Purpose

The purpose of the ACP is political action and advocacy.

Economics & Health Policy

The ACP Economics and Health Policy Department is the ACP’s primary resource for medical socioeconomics, working on issues directly related to how pathologists are reimbursed for their services. The department collects, analyzes, and disseminates information on economic issues under the guidance of the Commission on Economics relevant to the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine, and other related medical issues. Some of the topics that fall under the purview of the department are CPT coding and relative values, practice expense, APCs, Medicare regulations, managed care, national payment policy, and local coverage decisions. The department maintains liaison with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and private payers, as well as the CPT Editorial Panel and the Relative Value Update Committee.

Political Action Committee

PathPAC’s growth in size and presence is very important as Congress will address many issues affecting pathology such as specimen reimbursement; Medicare reform; patient safety; medical liability. It is critical for pathology as a profession to have its voice heard on Capitol Hill through a bipartisan political action committee that supports Members of Congress and candidates running for Congress who are helpful to the pathology community.

ACP Career Center

The ACP also hosts the ACP Career Center, one of the largest job sites specifically for pathologists. Employers are carefully screened and recruiters are not allowed, making the ACP Career Center the best place to find a job. The site is meant to be a "user-friendly meeting place for individual employers and job seekers." In addition to the online resources, the ACP Career Center also provides an on-site interview service in late November.