University Hospitals Introduces Real-Time Blood Ordering Alerts with HemaLogiX®

CLEVELAND, Ohio - University Hospitals has introduced a new real-time clinical decision support module with HemaLogiX^®, enhancing its long-standing transfusion analytics platform with point-of-care alerts embedded directly into the Epic electronic health record.

UH has used HemaLogiX since 2017 to support its patient blood management program, leveraging retrospective analytics and reporting to identify patterns of transfusion utilization and opportunities for improvement. Since its initial deployment in 2017, the platform has helped UH reduce transfusions by approximately 40 percent, generating over $55 million in cost savings while promoting safer, more consistent transfusion practices.

The newly released module represents a significant evolution of the platform. When a blood component is ordered in Epic, HemaLogiX now evaluates the order in real time against patient-specific data using HemaLogiX's proprietary Transfusion Appropriateness Algorithm. If documented data do not meet set transfusion criteria, the system generates an advisory alert at the point of order entry. Clinicians retain full authority to override the alert and proceed with the transfusion, ensuring that clinical judgment remains paramount.

"This enhancement moves transfusion management from retrospective review to real-time clinical support," said James L. Hill Jr. MD, MBA, CPE, FASA, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer, UH Parma Medical Center, and a founding clinical leader of the HemaLogiX initiative. "The alerts are designed to educate and inform at the moment decisions are made, while preserving physician autonomy."

Traditional transfusion management tools often rely on a single threshold (e.g., hemoglobin level). HemaLogiX takes a more nuanced approach by integrating numerous patient-specific variables (e.g., vital signs, lab values and medications) across four major blood components, enabling context-aware assessments that reflect the complexity of real-world clinical decision-making.

In addition to real-time alerts, the platform continues to maintain live dashboards, updated daily to serve a variety of clinical users. Longitudinal analytics support collaborative review, education, and continuous improvement across clinical and operational teams.

"HemaLogiX has already transformed how we understand and manage transfusion practices at University Hospitals," said Jennifer Dawson, MBA, MSN, RN, Principal Advisor, System Resource Utilization at UH. "The addition of real-time alerts adds another layer of support, reinforcing evidence-based practice at the point of care."

Following its success at UH, the HemaLogiX platform is now commercially available through Hemaptics^® (www.hemaptics.com), enabling health systems nationwide to benefit from both retrospective analytics and real-time clinical decision support for transfusion management.