Anne Chenoweth gives us her top tips to make your next AABB assessment better!
NOTE: Continuing Education credit for this episode has expired. See below for details.
Anne Chenoweth MBA, MT(ASCP), CQA(ASQ)
How Can We Get Better?
Anne Chenoweth is the person responsible for overseeing those assessors, and she feels your pain! Anne is not just a “regulatory person.” She has an extensive background in hospital-based Transfusion Medicine, and she understands how it feels to be “assessed!” In this interview, Anne takes us through the most common nonconformances identified during AABB assessments, but doesn’t stop there. She also outlines specific, practical steps we can all can take to avoid those pitfalls.
Don’t Have to Worry About AABB?
Maybe you don’t work at an AABB-accredited facility. Or, maybe you do but it’s not your job to get everyone ready for an assessment. Either way, Anne’s tips will still help you and your facility improve. The AABB Quality Systems Essentials overlap in numerous ways with requirements from other accrediting agencies (such as CAP, CLIA/CMS, and FDA), so please don’t discount this information!
Anne Chenoweth MBA, MT(ASCP), CQA(ASQ)
How Can We Get Better?
Anne Chenoweth is the person responsible for overseeing those assessors, and she feels your pain! Anne is not just a “regulatory person.” She has an extensive background in hospital-based Transfusion Medicine, and she understands how it feels to be “assessed!” In this interview, Anne takes us through the most common nonconformances identified during AABB assessments, but doesn’t stop there. She also outlines specific, practical steps we can all can take to avoid those pitfalls.
Don’t Have to Worry About AABB?
Maybe you don’t work at an AABB-accredited facility. Or, maybe you do but it’s not your job to get everyone ready for an assessment. Either way, Anne’s tips will still help you and your facility improve. The AABB Quality Systems Essentials overlap in numerous ways with requirements from other accrediting agencies (such as CAP, CLIA/CMS, and FDA), so please don’t discount this information!
About My Guest:
Anne Chenoweth is the Senior Director of the Accreditation and Quality Department for the AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks). She obtained her Masters from Johns Hopkins University and certification as a quality auditor from the American Society for Quality.
Anne received her Bachelor of Science/Medical Technology degree at the University of Virginia. She was manager of the transfusion service at Montgomery General Hospital (now MedStar Montgomery) for 20 years. In that capacity, she took a leadership role in numerous redesigns, both operational and organizational.
Anne has been a surveyor for the International Society for Quality in Healthcare since 2008. In that role, she has performed surveys for facilities around the world. In addition, she has delivered numerous society and association quality and performance improvement presentations.
Continuing Education Expired
This podcast episode offered continuing education credit for two years from its release date, but is no longer eligible for such credit.
To find Blood Bank Guy Essentials Podcast episodes with active continuing education opportunities, Click here or visit Transfusion News Continuing Education on Wiley Health Learning.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed on this episode are those of my guest and I alone. Those opinions may not represent those of the organizations with which either of us is affiliated. Neither Anne nor I have any relevant financial disclosures.
More Information about AABB Accreditation:
- Accreditation Program Home Page
- Standards and Accreditation FAQs
- Accreditation Member Tools (You need your AABB-accredited facility’s credentials to log in here)
- List of AABB-accredited Blood Banks, Transfusion Services, and Donor Centers
Music Credit
Music for this episode includes “Cuando te invade el temor” and “Reflejo,” both by Mar Virtual via the Free Music Archive. Click the image below for permissions and license details.
Absolutely love this one. Learn so much and it was fun. Definitely I will mark this one in my phone for reference
I’m so glad, Karen! Thanks for listening!
-Joe
Do you have any suggestions for text books for med tech students, junior college the technical manual standards is pricy and not the easiest read.
Mark, I understand your comments about Standards and the TM; I wish both were less expensive, but obviously I can’t control that. I would disagree a little with you (politely, of course) on how easy the Tech Manual is to read. The last few editors have made a concerted effort to make the language more user-friendly and less “technical” (ironic, given the title), and I think they have succeeded. If, however, someone is dead-set against the TM, I generally recommend Denise Harmening’s book for med tech students (Modern Blood Banking and Transfusion Practices), even though it’s getting a bit old (last edition 2012, I believe). Others I like include Transfusion Medicine and Hemostasis, edited by Drs. Beth Shaz and Chris Hillyer (with a new edition just published in late 2018), though it is a bit more geared toward physician trainees.
-Joe
This was a great podcast.
It was entertaining and to add extra value very informative. Love it because the answers to your questions were very clear not beating around the bushes with well or maybe….
Thanks to you and Ann for a great podcast.
Dolores, thanks so much for your kind words! Anne is a remarkable person and a wonderful resource, and I agree that she was very clear in her statements in this interview. I appreciate your thoughts very much.
-Joe
I am absolutely smiling now!!!
Love this podcast. Learned so much, thank you!
Maree
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Maree! Anne is amazing, and such a great resource. Plus, she’s a BLAST to talk to!
-Joe
Excellent interview! Very nice to learn where the weak spots are in most Blood Banks and how they can make some simple changes to improve both their efficiency and quality, AND their assessment results!