CAAHEP accreditation of a cytology or blood bank specialist program is the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs' review of an educational program against the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for that profession. Cytology programs are reviewed through the Cytology Programs Review Committee (CPRC), and Specialist in Blood Bank Technology/Transfusion Medicine (SBB) programs through the Committee on Accreditation of Specialist in Blood Bank Technology/Transfusion Medicine (CoA-SBBT/TM). Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) organizes the self-study and evidence for CAAHEP accreditation of your cytology or blood bank program; your faculty own the teaching.

Last reviewed: October 2026.

What is CAAHEP accreditation for cytology and SBB programs?

CAAHEP states: "At the heart of the CAAHEP accreditation system are our nationally-recognized Standards and Guidelines," and "CAAHEP Standards have common elements with discipline-specific requirements for training entry level practitioners in that profession" (CAAHEP, Standards and Guidelines). CAAHEP describes itself as "the largest specialized accreditor of allied health education programs in the United States, representing 32 professions" (CAAHEP, Program Director FAQs).

The governing texts, as listed on CAAHEP's standards page (CAAHEP):

• CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for Cytology, "Approved 12-7-2023, effective 1-1-2025."
• CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for Specialist in Blood Bank Technology/Transfusion Medicine, "Standards approved 11-20-21."

Check each posted document for its exact title before you work from it.

The committees: "The Cytology Programs Review Committee (CPRC), under the auspices of CAAHEP" promotes the quality of cytology education programs (CAAHEP, Cytology). "CoA-SBBT/TM under the auspices of CAAHEP, promotes and advances the quality of educational programs" for "Blood Bank Technology/Transfusion Medicine professionals" (CAAHEP, SBB/TM). The SBB committee page lists the "Association for Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB)" and the "American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)" as sponsoring organizations, and offers "Self-study documents for initial and continuing accreditation" and the "Request for Accreditation Services Form."

CAAHEP lists its accreditation process in these steps (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process):

1. "Submission of the Request for Accreditation Services Form (RAS)"
2. "Submission of a Self-Study Report by the Program"
3. "Review of Self-Study Report by the CoA"
4. "Site Visit by the CoA"
5. "Program's Response to Site Visit Findings"
6. "CoA's Review of Program's Compliance with Standards and Accreditation Recommendation"
7. "Special Procedures for Recommendations Requiring Due Process"
8. "Accreditation Status Decision by the CAAHEP Board of Directors"
9. "Ongoing Quality Review"

Who needs it and what triggers it

Colleges, hospital education departments and training organizations that offer cytology or SBB programs and want CAAHEP programmatic accreditation. The usual triggers:

• A new program, which involves a self-study report and a Request for Accreditation Services (RAS) form that CAAHEP says is submitted "within 30 days of submission of the self-study report to the Committee on Accreditation" (CAAHEP).
• Continuing accreditation. The SBB committee publishes self-study documents "for initial and continuing accreditation" (CAAHEP), and CAAHEP's process ends in "Ongoing Quality Review."
• A standards revision, such as the cytology standards "effective 1-1-2025" (CAAHEP).

How IHS helps

IHS uses the same method for cytology and SBB programs, working from the standards for the profession your program teaches. The process:

1. Gap assessment. IHS reads your program against the cytology or SBB standards and lists what is missing or undocumented.
2. Self-study workplan. IHS turns the gaps into a dated plan with owners.
3. Standards-to-evidence index. IHS builds a crosswalk from each standard to the record that shows it.
4. Evidence organization. IHS organizes laboratory placement evidence, faculty records and the graduate outcome review, and coordinates revisions across your institution. Any teaching content is drafted for your faculty to review and approve.
5. Mock review. Before the site visit, IHS reviews the evidence against the standards.

What your program supplies: the standards for the profession, curriculum, placement sites, outcome data and qualified faculty. Your program files the RAS form and self-study and hosts the site visit. IHS drafts; your program submits.

The limit: laboratory science teaching and competency are faculty judgments. IHS has no laboratory science depth and does not make them.

See how this fits with our other programs on the Accreditation Consulting page.

What to have ready

This list draws on CAAHEP's Accreditation Process and Standards and Guidelines pages and the cytology and SBB/TM committee pages.

1. The current standards for your profession: Cytology, "Approved 12-7-2023, effective 1-1-2025," or SBB/TM, "Standards approved 11-20-21."
2. For SBB programs, the committee's "Self-study documents for initial and continuing accreditation."
3. A completed Request for Accreditation Services form. CAAHEP states: "The program submits the RAS form electronically through the CAAHEP website within 30 days of submission of the self-study report."
4. A self-study report, the second step in CAAHEP's process. CAAHEP lists the RAS first but says it is submitted after the self-study report.
5. A crosswalk from each standard to its evidence, built for the CoA's "Review of Self-Study Report."
6. Laboratory placement agreements and records for each clinical site.
7. Faculty records and graduate outcome data, ready for the "Site Visit by the CoA."
8. A named owner for the "Program's Response to Site Visit Findings."

If you want to talk through where your program stands on this list, the introductory call is the place to start.

How it compares

Both professions follow CAAHEP's process; the standards and the committee differ. This table describes them; it does not say which program your institution should run.

Clinical research programs follow the same CAAHEP process under a different committee; see CAAHEP clinical research program accreditation.

What it costs

Two parties set fees: CAAHEP and the committee. CAAHEP states: "Each CoA sets its fees, which generally include application, annual, site visit, and other maintenance fees" (CAAHEP). CPRC and CoA-SBBT/TM do not publish fee schedules on the pages we reviewed. CAAHEP's fee page says each CoA assesses its own program fee and links to each CoA's website (CAAHEP).

CAAHEP's own fees, from its governing documents (fetched October 2, 2026):

CAAHEP also lists a "$200 administrative fee for Accredited Program Fee Invoices that are not fully paid by August 1" and a "$150 fee per submitted Request for Accreditation Services (RAS) form due at the time of submission. The RAS verification fee will be assessed starting July 1, 2027." Verify current fees with CAAHEP and with the committee for your profession.

IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.

What this is not

• IHS is not an accrediting body and does not grant, influence or predict a committee recommendation or a CAAHEP Board decision.
• IHS does not file the RAS form, submit the self-study or correspond with CAAHEP, CPRC or CoA-SBBT/TM on your behalf. IHS drafts; your program submits.
• This page is not legal advice, and IHS does not judge laboratory science teaching or student competency.

Frequently asked questions

How does a hospital or university get a cytology (cytotechnology) program accredited?

Through CAAHEP, with the Cytology Programs Review Committee (CPRC) as the reviewing committee. The program works to the CAAHEP cytology standards, listed as approved 12-7-2023 and effective 1-1-2025. CAAHEP's process runs from a self-study report and a Request for Accreditation Services form, which CAAHEP says is submitted within 30 days of submission of the self-study report, through a site visit to a CAAHEP Board decision.

What is a Specialist in Blood Bank Technology program and who accredits it?

It is an educational program for Blood Bank Technology/Transfusion Medicine professionals. CAAHEP accredits it through the Committee on Accreditation of Specialist in Blood Bank Technology/Transfusion Medicine (CoA-SBBT/TM), whose page lists AABB and ASCP as sponsoring organizations.

Which committee reviews cytology programs, and which reviews SBB programs?

CPRC reviews cytology programs, under the auspices of CAAHEP. CoA-SBBT/TM reviews Specialist in Blood Bank Technology/Transfusion Medicine programs, also under the auspices of CAAHEP.

What are the CAAHEP steps from Request for Accreditation Services to Board decision?

CAAHEP lists the RAS form, the program's self-study report, the CoA's review of the self-study, a site visit by the CoA, the program's response to site visit findings, the CoA's review and accreditation recommendation, special procedures for recommendations requiring due process, and the CAAHEP Board's status decision, followed by ongoing quality review. CAAHEP states that the RAS form is submitted electronically within 30 days of submission of the self-study report.

How long does initial CAAHEP accreditation take for a laboratory science program?

The CAAHEP pages we reviewed do not state a total time. CAAHEP lists nine steps from the Request for Accreditation Services form to ongoing quality review, and says the RAS form is submitted electronically within 30 days of submission of the self-study report.

How much does CAAHEP accreditation cost per program?

CAAHEP's Accredited Program Fee is $660 per program for one program at a location in 2026 to 2028, falling to $220 per program at five or more programs. A $150 RAS fee applies starting July 1, 2027. CPRC and CoA-SBBT/TM set their own fees, which we did not find published; verify current fees with CAAHEP and the committee.

What does the site visit team review for laboratory programs?

In CAAHEP's process the CoA conducts the site visit after reviewing the self-study report, and the program then responds to the findings. The pages we reviewed do not list the visit agenda. IHS's mock review checks your placement, faculty and outcome evidence against the standards before the visit.

What happens if the CoA recommends probation or withholding accreditation?

CAAHEP's process includes a step called Special Procedures for Recommendations Requiring Due Process, which comes before the CAAHEP Board's status decision. The pages we reviewed do not describe those procedures in detail. Read CAAHEP's policies for the steps that apply to your program.