johnvb

There is a white paper that talks about the regulations and why the hospital needs to centralize tissue management. It is free and available for download at http://www2.mediware.com/bb/future/. In the report, Docs from Hopkins, Georgetown, Moores UCSD Cancer Center and NYU speak to the changing role of the blood bank and the need for a computer system to trace, track and report (recalls). This might be of use for you. I don't want to come across as too much of a vendor, but Mediware recently launched a system (BiologiCare) that addresses this need. It supports bones/tissues/etc; manages multiple storage locations/types; manages vendor qualifications; monitors inventories; etc. The company does periodic web casts on the product and you can express interest in these when you download the paper. If you just want to speak with someone, send an email to info@mediware.com and I'm sure they will get right back to you.

I don't know about MediTech specifically, but have heard about frankensteining being done with other BB systems to store tissues. Issues come up with the tracking and traceability of products - especially when there are multiple storage locations. Also auditing/reporting is more complicated. Mediware's customers have done multiple workaround and based on their feedback have built a system specifically for bones/tissues to improve efficiency and safety standards. Steve Sedlock can give you additional information if desired. steve.sedlock@mediware.com

The Blood Center in Wisconsin is doing a study on RFID and have started publishing their results. http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3604/1/1/ Dr. Sandler at Georgetown University also did a study on it but found that they couldn't recoup the costs yet so it might not be feasible. http://www.ilabb.org/Presentations/Administration_of_Blood/Dr.%20Sandler%20RFID%20Technology.pdf

Managing surgeons / OR staff is a recurring message I'm hearing as I cull the industry regarding needed functionality. You might find the process change to be more significant than the technology change. Another problem I've been hearing about is managing inventory with multiple storage sites. Folks I've talked with say they either don't know what they have or know what they should have, but don't know where it is. One customer had to do an audit and found $40k in expired inventory! And the level of trackability/traceablity makes this potentially very complex. Do you plan to document who handles - and the state of each material - items that may go to surgery but are not used and returned? The system requirements could be substantial. I'd be interested in which systems you are looking at and if you are finding dedicated systems out there that will meet your needs. I'm in market research and I haven't found many that look ready for prime time. Tissue vendor software seems too single threaded to be useful. A couple of others offer interesting technology but lack the functional depth. We're (Mediware) bringing this type of product to market in June and I’d be interested in hearing the core functionality you seek so I can check / balance our product management team. Let me know if you be interested or just post to the board. Thanks

Who is responsible for managing transplantable tissues at your facility? With newer regulations in place, and more expected, some are moving this all to the blood bank. If this is happening, how will (are) you managing: Trace/Track-ability requirementsVendor qualificationsInventory - storage location and dateRecalls / patient notificationsWhat problems are/will you have in the BB?

LaDonna, I'll pass your request on but feel free to call Steve Sedlock at 760.250.1999.