A look to the future of blood banking and transfusion medicine: report from an American Association of Blood Banks Foundation Managerial Think Tank

Comprehensive reimbursement model: an alternative to fee-for-service reimbursement by blood centers

"If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do and how to do it." This quote from Abraham Lincoln epitomizes where SMF and its CRM hospital customers are today. The CRM has been received by SMF's hospital customers as a step in the right direction. Currently, it seems to be the best way to partner with hospitals by sharing risk in the current health care delivery system milieu. The CRM focus on patient outcomes will provide hospitals and blood centers a common goal. Modifications to the CRM will most certainly be necessary. With input from customers and the community over time, and flexibility from SMF, a revised model will evolve that will be even more mutually beneficial.

Blood transfusion economics in Greece

This paper describes the organizational structure and the economic impact of blood donation and transfusion in Greece and discusses some alternative aspects of its financing and its costing policy. The cost of blood transfusion is rising in Greece and amounts to nearly 15 billion drachmas per year due to the constant increase in demand and consequently, the price of each unit of blood. The production and distribution of blood on national scale involves meeting the demand for 500.000 units. Blood is mostly given by the friends and relatives of patients (55%) and by voluntary blood donation (30%). Approximately 50% of the blood produced is used in surgery, 20% for cases of beta-thalassaemia, 10% for emergencies and 20% for internal medicine cases. The blood transfusion system is totally funded by the state budget and the value to users is free of charge. The way in which blood is collected and processed differs from one geographical area to another and the unit cost depends on the size of the department concerned, ranging from 60-150 $. The need to control costs and restrain expenditure, in conjunction with guarantees of sufficiency and quality, makes it essential that measures should be taken to introduce economies of scale and encourage competition among blood providers, for increased production, components preparation and rational usage of blood. The introduction of a costing policy becomes necessary in this effort to achieve cost-containment techniques.