Legal basis and authority granted
- Section 4 of Republic Act No. 1517 requires that the provision of blood for transfusion be rendered as a non-profit medical service.
- Republic Act No. 1517 authorizes the Bureau to set maximum charges consistent with its regulatory mandate.
- Administrative Order No. 57, s. 1989 (Revised Rules and Regulations Governing the Collection, Processing and Provision of Human Blood and the Establishment and Operation of Blood Banks) provides that the Bureau of Research and Laboratories shall prescribe from time to time the maximum rates for blood and its products in consultation with appropriate professional societies (reflected in the order’s authority basis).
- Section 14.2 of Administrative Order No. 57, s. 1989 is implemented through the Bureau’s rate prescription.
Policy and cost basis for rates
- The order characterizes the provision of blood for transfusion as a medical service, not the sale of a commodity (Section 1(1); Section 4, Republic Act No. 1517).
- Blood shall be rendered as a non-profit service (Section 1(1); Section 4, Republic Act No. 1517).
- Costs for providing blood or its components shall be reimbursed to the blood bank, hospital, or other institution rendering the service when the recipient or his family can afford (Section 1(2)).
- Processing and therapeutic use of blood components shall be encouraged through a rate structure that divides costs among all components prepared from a unit of blood (Section 1(3)).
- Fees charged shall be based on the average of actual costs, including expenses for recruiting donors, collection, processing, storing, and transportation of blood, with a reasonable allowance for spoilage and professional service rendered (Section 1(4); Section 14.2, Administrative Order No. 57, s. 1989 and Section 5, Republic Act No. 1517 as cited in the order).
Maximum rates for transfusion blood products
- Section 2 prescribes maximum rates for the following blood products:
- Whole Blood — PHP 400.00
- Packed RBC — PHP 450.00
- Fresh Frozen Plasma — PHP 300.00
- Plasma (Liquid or Frozen) — PHP 250.00
- Platelet Rich Plasma — PHP 400.00
- Platelet Concentrate — PHP 500.00
- Cryoprecipitate — PHP 600.00
- Washed RBC — PHP 600.00
- Leucocyte poor RBC — PHP 600.00
- Rh negative blood — PHP 50.00 additional
- The maximum rates for all blood types (ABO) include charges for:
- ABO grouping
- Test for hemoglobin content
- Screening for malaria
- Screening for syphilis
- Screening for HBsAg
- Screening for HIV antibody (Section 2).
- The Rh negative charge is assessed as an additional PHP 50.00 (Section 2).
Who must charge and when approvals apply
- All blood banks—both hospital and non-hospital—must charge the prescribed maximum rates for whole blood and its components in their usual transactions with hospitals and pay patients (Section 3).
- Under justifiable circumstances, blood banks and hospitals may charge rates other than those prescribed only through:
- a written application, and
- express approval by the Bureau of Research and Laboratories (Section 3).
- Government hospitals and the Philippine National Red Cross may charge lower rates for the indigent and service patients (Section 4).
Charges for additional examinations and other components
- Other laboratory examinations not mandated above or other services (such as transporting outside city limits, crossmatching, etc.) may be charged separately in the bill for services (Section 5).
- Rates for other blood components not specified in the prescribed schedule are subject to approval by the Bureau of Research and Laboratories (Section 6).
Effect on prior issuances
- Section 7 provides that the order modifies or supersedes all previous issuances inconsistent with it, including A.O. No. 116, s. 1985 (Blood Bank Rates).