THE WISCONSIN STATE LABORATORY OF HYGIENE PROFICIENCY TESTING (EXTERNAL QUALITY ASSESSMENT) PROGRAMS IN MICROBIOLOGY

Proficiency testing (PT) in Wisconsin began in 1950 with a dairy progr am mandated for interstate shipment of milk. In 1958 a syphilis serolo gy program for laboratories seeking approval to do premarital testing was initiated. A program in enteric bacteriology isolation and identif ication was developed in 1966. Over the next several years, Wisconsin developed comprehensive PT programs in all major phases of laboratory testing, including clinical chemistry, bacteriology, serology, hematol ogy, immunohematology, cytology and environmental chemistry. Many of t hese state programs were established to enable clinical laboratories t o qualify for participation in the Medicare health plan. Medicare is a United States Government program that provides health care reimbursem ent for elderly persons.