mara

I am interested to hear good/bad issues of any EPIC users who are hosted by other (specifically smaller) Epic organizations? Please private message me with feedback. Thanks so much.

Thanks for your replies. For anyone else out there.....what do you think the best BBIS system is and why? I have heard mostly favorable things about Softbank, HCLL Mediware, and Cerner Millenium for BB. I would love to hear from actual users as anyone can sell a product, but those that use it seem to know best. Thanks for your feedback of pros and cons as well as your favorite.

My facility is exploring HIS/LIS/BBIS options. One of the contenders is Epic and another is Cerner. It is my understanding that if Cerner is chosen as the HIS, then the lab/BB will be switching to Millenium. If Epic is chosen, the lab might have the option of going to Beakers/whatever the Epic partner system is for BB or possibly staying with HLAB/HSS Safetrace Tx. Does anyone know what BBIS Epic partners with for their BB application? Has anyone used Epic with Beakers and this sytem and what is your feedback of that experience? Does anyone have an opinion of Cerner Millenium vs. HSS Safetrace TX vs. whatever the Epic BBIS is? Thanks!

I’m on a 6 Sigma team looking at our current process and have been asked to solicit feedback on what other facilities are doing. We’d really appreciate your answers to the attached questions (by email mrichardson@srhs.com or fax 864-560-6049). I’ll be more than happy to collate and share the responses back with the group. Thanks so much!

We allow any employee who has had our blood transport training pick up a unit of blood to transport to the transfusion location which may be inhouse or may be at one of our other facilities on campus. Only nurses, perfusionists, or physicians can participate in the 2 person bedside check prior to administration though.

1 form for the event. We document all the units on the form and at the end of the month all of our emergency release forms are sent to Health Informatics where they are scanned into the patient's EMR. This is where they are flagged for the requesting physician's signature as part of keeping their EMR charting current.

Question: Our Blood Administration Policy states that blood can only be hung with normal saline (no meds piggybacked), but what is your facility’s policy for administering blood through different ports of a central line (distal, medial, proximal)? Is it allowed? If allowed and if other life sustaining meds or chemo which cannot be suspended for the transfusion are being administered through one or more of the other ports, is the blood still administered through the central line port or is a separate venous access obtained? What is the policy if an alternate venous access cannot be obtained for the patient? Thanks so much for sharing your policies on this issue!

For any of you that use a separate blood armband, do you: Place the armband on the patient at the time of Type & Screen collection (and have them wear it for weeks until admission/surgery)? Give the patient some type of voucher that has the blood armband number on it at T/S collection that they then have to bring back with them the day of admission to redeem their blood armband (which remains on the patient’s chart). The armband is placed on the patient then on admission? Some other means of blood armbanding Pre-Admission patients in advance of their admission/surgery date? If so, please specify. Thanks so much for your feedback!

I've seen the posting of problems with the Cellwasher 2 Plus models (wet cell buttons, wet units, chipping paint). Does anybody have any feedback on the Helmer UltraCW cellwasher or any alternate unit that they love? We have a very old Cellwasher 2 that we need to replace and don't want to buy a lemon. Thanks!