Premier Health Kicking Off Comprehensive Patient Blood Management Program

Premier Health’s patient blood management program continues to build momentum. All medical staff executive committees have approved transfusion guidelines, and a newly formed steering committee will formally launch at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, Aug. 8, at the Premier Health Center (Room 2, second floor). Each individual site within Premier Health will have its own kickoff as part of the five-year campaign; the schedule for those kickoffs will be announced at a later date. As part of this effort, key performance indicators and goals will be determined for each site.

Premier Health is tackling the issue of patient blood management because, while blood transfusions save lives, such procedures are not without risk. What’s more, national studies suggest that as many as half of all transfusions might be unnecessary or avoidable.

To address those risks and further enhance the value of its health care, Premier Health has launched a comprehensive patient blood management program across its hospitals as part of a national patient safety initiative. As it puts the five-year program in place, the health system is collaborating with Accumen, a national company with a strong track record of success in patient blood management.

The multidisciplinary program seeks to improve both transfusion utilization and transfusion safety; optimize diagnosis and management of anemia; and minimize bleeding and blood loss. Programs like the comprehensive approach Premier Health is taking have reduced the incidence of blood product transfusion by 30 percent to 40 percent.

“This evidence-based program will build upon the success of our clinical quality initiatives, and our hospitals also should see a reduction in blood usage and the cost of care,” said Jennifer Hauler, DO, chief medical officer at Premier Health. 

Back to the July 2018 issue of Premier Pulse