Which CLIA certificate is abbreviated COA?

Which CLIA certificate is abbreviated COA?

• A. Certificate of Compliance
• B. Certificate of Accreditation
• C. Certificate of Registration
• D. Certificate of Waiver

Answer: (B)

In CLIA, COA stands for Certificate of Accreditation. This certificate is issued to laboratories that are accredited by a CMS-approved accrediting organization (such as CAP, Joint Commission, or COLA) to perform moderate or high complexity testing. When a lab holds a COA, CMS recognizes the accrediting body’s surveys as the mechanism showing ongoing compliance with CLIA requirements, rather than CMS conducting the direct surveys itself. This distinguishes it from a Certificate of Compliance (which follows CMS verification surveys for labs on moderate/high complexity testing) and from a Certificate of Waiver (for labs that perform only waived tests) and from a Certificate of Registration (an initial authorisation to operate while pursuing full accreditation).

In CLIA, COA stands for Certificate of Accreditation. This certificate is issued to laboratories that are accredited by a CMS-approved accrediting organization (such as CAP, Joint Commission, or COLA) to perform moderate or high complexity testing. When a lab holds a COA, CMS recognizes the accrediting body’s surveys as the mechanism showing ongoing compliance with CLIA requirements, rather than CMS conducting the direct surveys itself. This distinguishes it from a Certificate of Compliance (which follows CMS verification surveys for labs on moderate/high complexity testing) and from a Certificate of Waiver (for labs that perform only waived tests) and from a Certificate of Registration (an initial authorisation to operate while pursuing full accreditation).