What Do the Accreditation Organizations Expect?: American Association of Blood Banks

Abstract

Abstract In 1958, the American Association of Blood Banks introduced the first edition of Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services. That same year, the association implemented the Inspection and Accreditation Program. This program served the association well for 40 years; however, factors such as the application of Current Good Manufacturing Practices by the Food and Drug Administration, the implementation of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 by the Health Care Financing Administration, managed care, competition, and increased cost pressures have changed the way the blood banking community conducts its business. In the early 1990s the board of directors recognized the need to reevaluate the Inspection and Accreditation Program and developed a strategic plan for implementation of a new accreditation program, with an emphasis on prevention rather than detection of errors. The first step in the process was the development of the Accreditation Program Committee. The committee was charged to develop and coordinate a program that would bring the accreditation process in tune with the current climate of blood banking and move it into the 21st century. The board charged the committee with the development of a program that recognizes the differences and similarities within the diverse groups of American Association of Blood Banks institutional members and to take into consideration how they do business and respond to regulations, standards, and other requirements.