Quality assurance initiative at the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Services Laboratories.

The National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) provides laboratory support and technical assistance for animal health programs of the United States Department of Agriculture. During this past year, the NVSL completed strategic planning activities and identified improved quality assurance (QA) as one of the key elements. The specific QA goal was the establishment of an internationally recognized QA program at the NVSL by the year 2000. This article provides a brief summary of the mission of the NVSL and the short- and long-term goals of the QA initiative.