Cerner EHR alert helps Missouri provider reduce blood transfusion rate, save $1 million

Blood transfusion can be lifesaving, but it is not widely known that up to 40-50 percent of blood transfusions in the U.S. are unnecessary, according to the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety 2017. When used inappropriately, they can harm patients, generate excessive costs, and waste an important, limited resource. University of Missouri Health Care saw an opportunity to improve patient safety and reduce costs by implementing a red blood cell transfusion clinical decision support alert. "Blood transfusions are among the most commonly over-utilized medical procedures in the U.S.," explained Dr. Emily Coberly, medical director of transfusion services at University of Missouri Health Care. "Over-transfusion is associated with increased lengths of stay, morbidity and mortality, and unnecessary increases in healthcare costs." Additionally, since the U.S. blood supply comes entirely from volunteer donors, caregivers have a duty to protect this important limited resource by using it wisely and using only for the patients who absolutely need it, she added.