Transfusion Practices

ALARMING CHALLENGES FACE TODAY'S HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS

Healthcare providers who offer blood transfusions face a growing number of cost, safety and risk factors. Blood component costs have risen by as much as 13% annually during the past ten years, while use of blood components has climbed to a staggering 21% per year just in the past five years. It’s no wonder outside supply costs -- typically in excess of $1,000,000 -- pose a substantial burden to healthcare organizations.

UNNECESSARY PROCEDURES, ADVERSE OUTCOMES POSE ADDED RISKS

Blood transfusions are inherently hazardous and fraught with adverse outcomes frequently unappreciated by physicians and other healthcare workers. Compounding the problem further is the fact that most institutions lack individuals familiar with modern transfusion medicine. Which is one reason why half of one or more blood component transfusions are medically unnecessary. Such transfusions are not only hazardous to patient health, but raise healthcare costs by hundreds of thousands of dollars and increase legal liability.

HEED THE PHYSICIAN'S WARNING AGAINST SELF-DIAGNOSIS

Just as physicians are urged against self-diagnosis, self-directed outcomes for transfusion data analysis by healthcare organizations fail to optimize patient transfusions, lower healthcare costs, and alleviate the short supply of blood units.

BENEFITS OF COLUMBIA HEALTHCARE ANALYTICS' MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

Our unique strategy for transfusion management offers a number of critically important advantages:

• "Low Risk" initial assessment of current transfusion practices in compliance with accredited standards
• Ethical "Clean Hands" approach to utilization review performed by trained independent and objective reviewers
• Improved patient care practices leading to safer patient care
• Elimination of inefficient, ineffective UR review positions (salary end benefit expenses for one or more employees)
• Reduced liability exposure, beneficially impacting insurance rates
• Alleviation of critical blood shortage through conservative management
• Reduction in inappropriate blood usage therapy, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in patient care costs for:
  • Blood supply
  • Nursing time in administering transfusion therapy
  • Laboratory management for storing & processing blood
  • Adverse reactions associated with transfusions
  • Treating blood borne illnesses acquired by transfusions