Certification Inspection Process

Certification Application

• A medical institution applies for inspection online through the Laboratory Medicine Foundation website (https://lmf.or.kr).
• After logging in as an institutional member, the institution enters institutional information and applies by specifying the inspection method (on-site inspection/document review), inspection fields, and preferred inspection period.
• After reviewing the application, the Foundation provides information on the inspection fee, appoints an inspection team leader, and notifies the applicant institution.

Certification Inspection

• The inspection schedule is finalized through consultation between the applicant institution and the inspection team leader, and inspections must be completed by the 25th of each month.
• Because inspector assignment and the inspection plan are established when the schedule is finalized, subsequent schedule changes are not permitted.
• The size of the inspection team and the inspection time vary according to the number of inspection fields and the scale of the laboratory.

Deliberation by the Laboratory Certification Committee

• Inspection results are deliberated by the Laboratory Certification Committee.
• The committee decision is notified to the institution in writing.
• The certification start date is the first day of the first month of the quarter following the inspection date. The on-site inspection certification period is six months, one year, or two years depending on inspection performance. For a new institution, the maximum period is one year for the first two years from the initial inspection.

Appeal of Certification Results and Final Decision

• An applicant institution that has an objection to the inspection result must complete an appeal application and submit it to the Foundation with supporting documents within one week after the inspection or by the end of the inspection month.
• The Assessment Division Working Committee reviews the validity of the appeal and, if necessary, may seek consultation from experts in the relevant field or from the Checklist Management Division, or may conduct reinspection.
• The Laboratory Certification Committee makes the final decision based on the Assessment Division review and notifies the applicant institution of the result.