Currently, most blood establishments use an automated, FDA-cleared, software system from a single vendor, which manages most of the life cycle from recruiting donors through distribution and testing of product including testing and manufacturing.

More and more, blood centers would like to move from a single, one-vendor dependent system to take advantage of non-regulated third-party modules used in conjunction with core functionalities to effect process improvement and enhance business activities.

The purpose of this session is to define and describe the architecture, development, and interoperability of future systems using some basic, business-driven, best-practice principles applied in many other industries-practices which the blood banking software providers seem very slow to adopt. Consensus among blood establishments on these principles could create a universal capability with the potential to dramatically increase our ability to work together and with our customers, and to reduce cost and implementation time.