The encyclopedia · R&D & Science · Operational decision · 2014–2017
American Red Cross scheduled blood collection to its processing window, gaining 20% cryo
Georgia Tech's decision-support tool got 1000 more cryo units a month (+20%) at 40% lower per-unit collection cost.
American Red Cross
the move
Cryoprecipitate only works if whole blood is processed into it within a strict collection-to-process time, so the useful output was limited by timing, not donation supply.
Georgia Tech modeled collection schedules, sites, historical yields and donor factors to reveal which collections could actually reach the processing window.
The resulting decision-support tool, deployed in the Red Cross Southern Region, prioritized the right collections for the window.
why it works
- It attacks timing, the real constraint, instead of donation volume.
- The model uses yields and donor factors, not just location counts.
- It produced a clear, deployable tool rather than a one-off analysis.
- More usable product from the same or lower collection cost.
what transfers
When a product expires fast, the lever is often scheduling when you harvest, not how much you harvest.
what came after
In the fourth quarter of 2016 the Red Cross Southern Region processed about 1,000 more units of cryo per month, a 20% increase, at a slightly lower collection cost — a 40% reduction in per-unit collection cost for cryo. The tool was shown to national executives, with plans to extend it to the other 11 regions.
references
- ISyE and American Red Cross Team's Project a Finalist for INFORMS' Franz Edelman Award
- American Red Cross Uses Analytics-Based Methods to Improve Blood-Collection Operations
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