Chapter 4 - The Role of the Physician in the Blood Center

Abstract

This chapter discusses the role of the physician in a blood center. Physicians play a central role in virtually all blood center elements and operations either with direct or indirect responsibilities. Blood centers are stated to be the facilities for collection, manufacturing, storage and distribution for biologics and therapeutics. The physicians in blood centers are often given the title of Chief Medical Officer (CMO) or Medical Director. The specific roles of the physician in the core operations are discussed. The blood center physician is required to oversee all aspects of blood collection, donor selection and complications arising from the blood donation process. In manufacturing and processing, the physician has only a limited role in well-functioning and standard manufacturing operations, preparing and processing such as leukoreduction. Clinical services in a blood center usually involves the immunohematology reference or histocompatibility laboratories, therapeutic apheresis and HPC collection and processing. In therapeutic apheresis (TA), the blood center physician makes all determinations about the TA service, including procedure medical appropriateness and technical aspects as well as consultation to ordering physicians.