The BASIS technology is a web-based application that enables the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to gather and analyze blood collection and usage information from civilian hospitals & blood centers. The information helps DHHS establish policies and procedures for better blood resource management.
In addition to tracking and reporting on blood inventories, the BASIS technology also addresses a number of additional blood resourcing needs:
- Support for emergency response.
- Analysis of blood inventory excess and shortages to facilitate their optimal use.
- Collaboration and communication among the various agents in the blood supply chain.
- Proactive detection of blood supply chain problems before they become critical and notification of the relevant stakeholders.
- Analytical and reporting tools for blood supply managers to analyze, detect patterns, make correlations, and forecast future blood inventory requirements.
There are primarily three types of facilities that can utilize the BASIS technology: hospitals, blood centers, and hybrid facilities. Using the BASIS technology’s web interface, these facilities can record both quantitative and qualitative information concerning blood supply and demand. The quantitative data entry allows users to record, for example, the number of units of available blood under various categories such as Collections, Inventory, Production, Distribution to Hospitals, Receipt from Suppliers, Wastage, Outdating, Transfused, Returns, Exports to Other Locations, and Imports from Other Locations. Qualitative data entry requires users to respond to a list of Yes or No questions designed to determine the indicators of blood supply shortages and what actions are being taken by facilities to remedy those shortages.
All data can be entered into the BASIS system using the tool’s web interface. Users from hospitals and blood collection centers across the nation can submit, on a daily-basis, summarized blood collection and blood demand information to the DHHS that provide support for blood policy decisions at the national level. This data can then be filtered to generate web-based onscreen reports that focus on user designated blood components and blood products. The BASIS technology is being developed by leveraging and customizing the Blood Reserve Availability Assessment, Tracking and Management System (BRAMS™) developed by KBSI.