sjlevine

The check digit is for manual entry of the ISBT 128 DIN in case the DIN must be keyed in. Obviously Customer Service does not know its own software because this was actively programmed and is preferred, meaning the software development process involved someone knowledgable about ISBT. sjl

Does anyone have a list or know where I can get a list relating ISBT 128 Product Codes to their corresponding FDA Biological Product Deviation Reporting Product Codes? I would like to avoid having to reinvent the wheel if I can. sjl

We have written our own in house system, using an Oracle database with an MS Access Front End. It covers accessioning and tracking of events with the ability to associate them with Root Cause analysis and corrective actions. One can also store links to documents related to the Events. The software includes a tasks manager that mails Microsoft Outlook tasks to those to whom they are assigned. It also provides the ability to look up data in our vendor-provided blood bank information system as well as provide a comprehensive report of information pertaining to an event, including linked documents, blood bank system information, root causes and corrective actions. The system requires initial login and login each time data is added, modified or deleted. It provides security via user-defined roles. All modifications to the database, including code table changes, are audited. When a record is deleted, its contents is audited so that one can determine what was in it. Stephen J. Levine, MD Oklahoma Blood Institute Oklahoma City, OK.

Thanks

In the facility name label text, is there an explicit requirement in ISBT 128 that the City be Proper or Title case (i.e, first letter of each word capitalized and remainder lower case) or can it be all upper case? Has anyone heard from the FDA or ICCBBA concerning this issue? Stephen J. Levine, MD Information Services Medical Liaison Oklahoma Blood Institute 1001 N. Lincoln Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73104

It turns out that we are going with the US License in the Upper Left Quadrant. The reason for this is that the upper part of the label is easier to see when units are on the shelf, making the license number there easier to use in determining whether a product is selected for out-of-state shipment. sjl

When I logged into Blood Bank Talk, the banner displayed "Hello sjlevine it appears that you have not posted on our forums in several weeks, why not take a few moments to ask a question, help provide a solution or just engage in a conversation with another member in any one of our forums?" My response to this is that I would visit and post sooner if I did not have so much work to do, particularly in the area of ISBT 128. I will say that what we have done so far has been a learning experience. We have instruments, such as the Abbott Commander, that will take ISBT 128 numbers, but leave them unprocessed, thus leaving it to us to process them before they go into our Blood Bank Information System. Abbott has no plans, they tell us, to make the commander ISBT 128 compliant, even though Anti-HTLV I/II and Anti-HIV assays are not yet licensed on the Prism. Anyway, I came, I looked and I posted. And vented. sjl:D

Mr. Haig. Your suggestion of a bloodmobile train is interesting. Long Island Blood Services used to hold its Long Island Railroad Blood drives on a train of parlor cars where the chairs were removed. The train, located on track 4 of Jamaica Station, consisted of, from east to west, a Medical Screening car, 2 phlebotomy cars, and a refreshment car. On the west end of the train was a power bar car, but, of course, the bar was closed. sjl

The US Industry Consensus standard, v.2.0.0 (November, 2005) gives an FDA licensed facility the option of placing its US License Number in the Lower Left Product Code Quadrant (USICS, pp. 27, 29)? The attractiveness of doing this is that, if a hospital or receiving facility performs additional modification to a licensed component, the relabeling of the component automatically covers up the license number. Are any centers considering taking advantage of this option? Does anyone know of any downside to doing this? Stephen J. Levine, MD Information Services Medical Liaison Oklahoma Blood Institute

Bob I am really glad to hear that you will be working for a commuter rail authority and am especially glad to hear that the capital of Texas is embracing the commuter rail alternative. That will be a big boost to the promotion of passenger rail in our region as an alternative to the automobile and toward a solution to increasing energy costs and adverse environmental effects. Best of luck to you. Just wish us luck with ISBT 128 (I will need a good train ride after we tackle this tough nut). sjl -- Oklahoma City (personal email sjl@prodigy.net)

Which railroad will you be working for? My hobby is trains. sjl