title: Cost of Purchased Versus Produced Plasma from Donor Recruitment Through Transfusion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plasma is used to treat acquired coagulopathy or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, or to reverse warfarin effect. Scant data are available, however, about its costs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate total costs of plasma from production through administration, from the perspective of a US hospital blood donor center (BDC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Six sequential decision analytic models were constructed and informed by primary and secondary data on time, tasks, personnel, and supplies for donation, processing, and administration. Expected values of the models were summed to yield the BDC's total cost of producing, preparing, and transfusing plasma. Costs ($US 2015) are reported for a typical patient using three units of plasma. Models assume plasma was obtained from whole blood donation and transfused in an inpatient setting. Univariate sensitivity analyses were performed to test the impact of changing inputs for personnel costs and adverse event (AE) rates and costs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BDC production cost of plasma was $91.24/patient ($30.41/unit), a $30.16/patient savings versus purchased plasma. Administration and monitoring costs totaled $194.64/patient. Sensitivity analyses indicated that modifying BDC personnel costs during donation and processing has little impact on total plasma costs. However, the probability and cost of transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) have a significant impact on costs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma produced by our BDC may be less costly than purchased plasma. Though plasma processes have multiple tasks involving staff time, these are not the largest cost driver. Major plasma-related AEs are uncommon, but are the biggest driver of total plasma costs.
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University, 901 Walnut Street, Suite 901, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA. katherine.prioli@jefferson.edu.
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Prioli
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University, 901 Walnut Street, Suite 901, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA.
authors.forename: Laura T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Pizzi
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 111 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA.
authors.forename: Julie Katz
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Karp
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 111 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA.
authors.forename: Taki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Galanis
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 111 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA.
authors.forename: Jay H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Herman
mesh_terms: D001782:Blood Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010949:Plasma; D014481:United States