We are proud to be one of only ten hospitals in the nation to be certified by the Joint Commission as a Patient Blood Management facility. The Patient Blood Management Certification is a two-year voluntary certification that provides a third-party evaluation of patient blood management programs. The certification is an evidence-based approach to optimizing care of patients who might need a transfusion. It is based on the AABB Standards for a Patient Blood Management Program and guides organizations in realizing the maximum benefits of their blood management programs.

While blood transfusions have the ability to save lives and improve health, they are not without risk. Blood transfusions are associated with:

• Immunosuppression
• Longer lengths of stay in the hospital
• Increased morbidity and mortality

Our Patient Blood Management Program is multifaceted, and includes surgical, obstetric, pediatric, and outpatients.  We approach patient care from a variety of strategies, including:

• Blood Conservation Program – allows us to provide care, including procedures, and avoid blood transfusions.
• Thromboelastography (TEG) Testing - enables us to deliver exactly the right blood product the patient needs and helps avoid unnecessary transfusions.
• Use of pharmaceutical products, rather than blood products. Several pharmaceutical products are available to treat bleeding and coagulation problems and avoid blood transfusions.
• Interoperative Cell Salvage – method of collecting red cells shed during surgery, processing and preparing them for safe return to the patient's own circulation as an autologous red cell transfusion during or immediately after surgery.
• Acute Normovolemic Hemodilution (ANH) - method of collecting blood from a patient immediately before surgery, replacing the volume with IV fluid then giving the blood back to the patient at or near the end of the surgery.