全球智库信息集成服务系统

Key Findings

1. Medical advances have dramatically reduced demand for blood, putting financial stress on blood centers.
2. Although the current U.S. blood system operates efficiently most of the time, there are seasonal shortages and risks of more widespread shortages in the future if the market continues to contract.
3. Changes in payment policies, improved capacity to handle emergency or surge needs, and investments in new technology would help ensure a safe, sustainable blood supply.

Medical advances have reduced demand for blood in the United States, while the number of blood centers collecting, processing, and distributing blood to hospitals has remained stable. The resulting competition has driven down prices that hospitals pay for blood; at the same time, production costs are increasing. As a result, the American Red Cross and a range of small and large blood centers are under financial duress and struggling to adjust to the new normal. RAND researchers assessed the primary characteristics of and pressures on the U.S. blood system to discover insights and recommendations for how policymakers can ensure the safety and sustainability of the blood supply.