Like any business, one DNA testing laboratory will be better than another. When selecting a lab you’ll want to see how many certifications the lab has earned. We here at DNA Testing Centers offer the following advice when selecting your testing center.

The American Association of Blood Banks, or AABB, monitors the quality and performance of blood banks throughout the world. In addition to laboratories, the AABB supports facilities that provide transfusion medicine, cellular therapy, gene therapy, hematopoietic therapy and transplantation. Thought the AABB was founded in 1947 the advent of DNA sampling lead to new standards for labs and in 1984 the AABB developed protocol for paternity and genealogy tests.

Assessors inspect facilities every two years for their practices and policies. When standards are exceeded the AABB recognizes the lab as having a commendable practice. Without AABB accreditation companies cannot provide the Chain of Custody paternity finding required for the court system.

A second accreditation laboratories seek is CAP, or College of American Pathologists. This organization sets standards of practice for patient and testing services in labs in America. More than 200 general standards and 170 molecular pathology criteria are established and each lab is invited to participate in proficiency testing.

The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments or CLIA is relatively new. Founded in 1988 it was passed by the United States Congress to establish practices and guidelines for labs that work with human samples. This agency is regulated by Medicare and Medicaid Services.

CLIA standards require that patients receiving DNA testing receive quality services and results in a timely manner. Though standards are high, two states, New York and Washington, are exempt from CLIA rigor because those state’s standards exceed CLIA levels.

While a DNA test has no risk, the findings have the power to change a life. Therefore, be sure to check on the accreditation when shopping for a DNA testing laboratory.