Credentialing of Foreign Trained Laboratory Personnel

6116.5 - Credentialing of Foreign Trained Laboratory Personnel (Rev. 230; Issued: 07-11-25; Effective: 07-11-25; Implementation: 07-11-25) Personnel employed in laboratories subject to CLIA that perform tests of moderate and/or high complexity must meet specific education, training, and experience requirements. Individuals who attended foreign schools must have an evaluation of their credentials determining equivalency of foreign to United States education. Nationally recognized evaluation organizations and their affiliates should perform the academic credential evaluation on a course-by-course basis. Nationally recognized evaluation organizations include but are not limited to the National Association Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. (NACES) (http://www.naces.org) and the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) (http://www.aice- eval.org). Other organizations may be available and may be able to be confirmed through research on the Internet (See Appendix C). The laboratory should maintain a copy of the course-by-course foreign-trained equivalency evaluation/determination in the laboratory records. Laboratories may also choose to use a primary source verification company for verifying foreign trained personnel, so long as the PSV relies on the same type of course-by- course evaluation to confirm and document the foreign degree’s equivalency to the personnel qualifications. • Foreign trained personnel that have a PhD equivalent must hold current HHS-approved board certification or meet the regulation at 42 CFR §493.1405(b)(3) or 42 CFR §493.1443(b)(3). • Foreign trained physicians (M.D., D.O., DDS) who are licensed to practice medicine in the State in which the laboratory is located do not need to produce educational equivalencies. A valid State medical license is sufficient proof of academic achievement. • With the exception of licensed physicians, other moderate and high complexity testing personnel who attended a foreign school still need to have foreign equivalencies done. • Each person examining cytology slide preparations must meet the qualifications of 42 CFR §493.1449(b) or (e) or 42 CFR §493.1483(a) and (b)(1) or (b)(2) or (b)(3).