American Red Cross
BioArch Program
2025 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
www.redcross.org

Cindy Payne
Ph: 202-303-4171
Fax: 202-638-3967
Email: PayneC@usa.redcross.org

Network Partners: None.

Project Purpose: To provide training services related to the implementation of the eProgesa COTS product for BioArch Program which includes the replacement of the Red Cross Biomedical Services blood manufacturing and services IT applications and the underlying operational technology platform, and the associated business process re-engineering that support the collection, processing, validation, and distribution of
blood and blood components. The Red Cross processes over 6 million blood donations through 11 Biomedical Services Divisions and 36 Regional areas across the United States and Puerto Rico, providing approximately 50% of the nation’s blood supply.

Outcomes Expected: The ePROGESA COTS product is a configurable “state of the art” software application that provides the requisite feature functionality to facilitate the blood banking process from donor recruitment, blood collection, manufacturing and testing through distribution of blood products. Students, referred to as “Super Users,” responsible for configuring the eProgesa software application, will be trained in the
complex configuration techniques, requirements and priorities. As part of the training, each student is tested following each major module of training and required to pass with 80% accuracy.

Service Area: The “super users” will set up the ePROGESA COTS system to be used across the United States by Red Cross’ 11 business divisions in support of the blood donation, testing, processing, and distribution to hospitals and clinics. Over 6 million blood donations annually are expected to be processed through this system.

Services Provided: Services within the scope of this effort include blood collection (blood drives) including donor health histories and phlebotomy, testing, manufacturing and distribution to hospital and clinic consumers based on product orders. The BioArch program is scheduled for implementation beginning in late 2006.

Equipment: Equipment includes ePROGESA application host computers located in Red Cross’ National Headquarters (NHQ) data center in Falls Church, VA, mobile laptops used on blood drives, and various required peripheral devices, such as bar code scanners, scales, and blood product label printers.

Transmission: The Regional blood banking staffs will access the ePROGESA application via the Red Cross “wide area network” (WAN) to the host computers in the Red Cross NHQ data center. The Regions are
connected to the NHQ via Frame Relay T1 circuits.

Foundation for eHealth Initiative
818 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20006
www.ccbh.ehealthinitiative.org
www.ehealthinitiative.org

Janet M. Marchibroda
Ph: 202-624-3270
Fax: 202-624-3266
Email: janet.marchibroda@ehealthinitiative.org

Network Partners: To date, the Connecting Communities for Better Health Program has funded nine community-based multi-stakeholder collaboratives that are improving health and healthcare through health information exchange (HIE) with additional awards expected in 2006 and supported stakeholders engaged in more than 200 State, regional, and community-based health information exchange projects across the US.

Project Purpose: The Connecting Communities for Better Health Program improves the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare by supporting the mobilization of information across disparate systems through health
information exchange. The Program provides seed funding and technical support to state, regional, and community-based collaborative initiatives that are improving health and healthcare through health information exchange and develops and disseminates tools and resources to support healthcare stakeholders who are navigating the clinical, financial, legal, organizational, and technical aspects of health information exchange.

Outcomes Expected: Increase in the number of sustainable health information exchange initiatives across the US that are enabling the mobilization of information to support better health and healthcare. Increase in the number of the providers, purchasers, and payers that recognize the value of health information exchange and are actively engaged in such efforts at the state, regional, and local levels. Increase in the number of principles and tools available to health information exchange initiatives to support their navigation of clinical, financial, organizational, and technical aspects of HIE.

Service Area: The Program supports stakeholders in every state and has provided funding to: CareSpark, TN; Colorado HIE, CO; IHIE/Regensrief Institute, IN; Massachusetts Health Data Consortium (MASHARE),
MA; MD DC Collaborative for HIT, MD; National Institute for Medical Informatics, WI; Santa Barbara County Care Data Exchange, CA; Taconic Educational Research Fund, NY; & St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, WA.

Services Provided: The Program provides seed funding to communities who are improving healthcare through HIE; develops common principles and tools for: getting started, organization and governance, value creation
and financing, practice transformation and quality, health information sharing policies, and technical aspects; and disseminates information through learning forums, an online resource center, and direct technical assistance.

Equipment: A broad range of equipment for health information exchange: hardware, software, and other equipment.

Transmission: A broad range of transmission methods including store and forward, Internet protocols, the Internet / WWW, wireless technology, and broadband transmission.