Health Centre’s savings represent a remarkable 40 per cent of provincial total
The province has saved nearly $300,000 over the past year as a direct result of excellent blood product conservation practices at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).
PRHC savings represent 40 per cent of the total provincial amount saved as a result of our hospital’s participation in the Ontario Regional Blood Coordinating Network (ORBCoN) program.
Following an annual review at PRHC in July 2015, our laboratory staff were commended by ORBCoN for their phenomenal work and results. In a letter to the hospital, ORBCoN praised the Health Centre for our efforts to conserve blood and blood products.
“Peterborough outdated only three red cell units in the past 12 months,” states the report from ORBCoN. “This demonstrates excellent management of the inventory. Your Transfusion Medicine and Laboratory staff are to be congratulated on their careful management of this precious resource. By participating in the provincial program for redistribution of PPP your hospital corporation contributed $287,033.02 in savings (cost reduction) to the provincial blood budget.”
How did PRHC save the province $300,000 through blood product conservation?
Excellent blood product management:
- Regular monitoring of blood product inventory and use
- Sharing excess product with other organizations to be used prior to expiry
- Only three units of blood expired before being used in 2014/15 – this represents waste of just 0.09%, 10 times lower than the national average of 0.9%
Decrease in overall blood product use:
- Physician-to-physician education to help reduce the prescription of blood for transfusions where medically appropriate
- This decrease in use means greater patient safety, ensuring patients receive only the blood product required to address their needs
- Decrease in demand means more blood available for those who need it
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For more information:
Michelene Ough
705-743-2121 x. 4259
mough@prhc.on.ca
