Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center has been granted AABB accreditation.
Accreditation follows an intensive on-site assessment by specially trained
AABB assessors and establishes that the level of technical and administrative
performance within the facility meets or exceeds the standards set by
AABB. By successfully meeting those requirements, Saint Mary’s Regional
Medical Center joins similar facilities located throughout the United
States and around the world that also have earned AABB Accreditation.
AABB’s Accreditation Program contributes to the quality and safety
of collecting, processing, testing, distributing and administering blood
and cellular therapy products. The Accreditation programs assesses the
quality and operational systems in place within a facility. The basis
for assessment is compliance with AABB standards, Code of Federal Regulations and other federal guidance documents.
The AABB Accreditation program has been recognized by the International
Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua). In June 1995, AABB was granted
“deemed status” as an accrediting organization under the clinical
Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA ’88) program. The
granting of “deemed status” indicated that the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has 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
- Transfusion Services – Testing (Pretransfusion, Compatibility), Blood
Administration
- Cellular Therapy (Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells, Cord Blood, Somatic Cells)
- Immunohematology Reference Laboratories
- Perioperative Services
- Relationship/Parentage Testing
- Molecular Testing for Red Cell, Platelet, and Neutrophil Antigens
About AABB
Established in 1947, AABB (formerly known as the American Association of
Blood Banks) is an international, not-for-profit association dedicated
to the advancement of science and the practice of transfusion medicine
and related biological therapies. The association is committed to improving
health by developing and delivering standards, accreditation and educational
programs and services to optimize patient and donor care and safety.