MACH's blood bank gets accreditation

By Fred Hornick, Moncrief Army Community HospitalApril 24, 2014

AABB
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT JACKSON, S.C. (April 24, 2014) -- The Department of Pathology's blood bank at Moncrief Army Community Hospital was granted American Association of Blood Banks re-accreditation, said Dr. Daniel Massi, medical director, Department of Pathology. The blood bank has been consistently accredited by AABB since 1963.

"The AABB's accreditation procedures are voluntary," Massi said. "The Moncrief Army Community Hospital Blood Bank has sought AABB Accreditation because this program assists facilities around the world in achieving excellence by promoting a level of professional and technical expertise that contributes to quality performance and patient safety."

Established in 1947, AABB is an international nonprofit membership organization dedicated to advancing the field of transfusion medicine and related biological therapies. The association is committed to improving health by developing and delivering standards, accreditation and education programs and services to optimize patient and donor care and safety.

Since 1958, AABB has been engaged in the accreditation of blood banks and transfusion services. AABB's accreditation program contributes to the quality and safety of collecting, processing, testing, distributing and administering blood and cellular therapy products.

The accreditation program assesses the quality and operational systems in place within a facility. The basis for assessment is compliance with AABB standards, the Code of Federal Regulations and other federal guidance documents. These standards not only reflect the level of professional proficiency for blood banks and transfusion services in the United States, but also provide the basis for practice in similar facilities around the world.

The AABB accreditation program has been recognized by the International Society for Quality in Healthcare, or ISQua. In June 1995, AABB was granted "deemed status" as an accrediting organization under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment of 1988 program. This granting of "deemed status" indicates that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have found the AABB accreditation process to provide reasonable assurance that the facilities accredited by it meet or exceed the conditions required by federal law and regulations.

AABB grants accreditation for:

-- Donor centers: collection, processing, testing and distribution of blood products

-- Transfusion services: testing (pretransfusion, compatibility) and distribution of blood products

-- Cellular therapy

-- Immunohematology reference laboratories

-- Perioperative services

-- Relationship/parentage testing

-- Molecular testing for red cell, platelet and neutrophil antigens