AHA conducted a benchmarking study of the costs and performance of the production of fresh blood products in Australia.

This complex international study was the first such project of its nature. It compared the Australian expenditure and production performance on fresh blood products against international benchmarks, including comparing operational efficiencies and production costs of local and international suppliers.

The project comprised two main components:

1. Benchmarking. This component involved the collection and comparison of performance data from a range of countries and blood agencies to establish a number of performance benchmarks, which were used to compare the NBA’s performance against other countries and blood agencies
2. Forecasting Demand. This component involved ascertaining the macro demand determinants of the fresh blood sector, e.g. health expenditure, demographics, morbidity factors, technology advances – in order to accurately predict future demand levels for fresh blood products.

The study helped to produce an understanding of how Australia’s fresh blood product sector has been performing over time and in comparison with other countries, and informed future benchmarking, forecasting and information gathering strategies and activities.