Frequently asked questions about BIS Foundation
BIS is active in a socially sensitive field involving the transplantation of the tissues of deceased donors. When carrying out our work we are frequently met with a whole series of questions. Below we attempt to provide answers to those questions that are posed most frequently.
Does BIS Foundation make a profit?
In accordance with Dutch civil law, BIS is a non-profit organisation. As such it has no shareholders, but it does have a social aim. Any positive financial result that may remain at the end of the accounting year once all expenditure has been deducted from income can be entered into the reserve.
This kind of reserve can be used to cover future costs or to reduce the cost price of tissue.
How is the board composition?
The BIS board is made up of practising physicians as well as managers, administrators and board members from other sectors of society.
Board members are also chosen for their knowledge of transplant medicine, both in the Netherlands and abroad. The board is supported in its work by a series of committees responsible for deciding on the criteria used when allocating transplants to patients (recipients).
These board committees are largely composed of leading scientific experts in the fields of heart valve, cornea and bone tissue transplants There is also a committee of experts in microbiological safety.
How is BIS held accountable for its work?
The BIS Foundation is partly funded by the health insurance companies in the Netherlands. To this end, BIS has a contractual agreement with the Dutch Transplantation Foundation (NTS in Dutch) that is responsible for donor recruitment and organ allocation. The NTS delegates the allocation elements of its work, as it relates to tissue transplantation, to BIS.
Both the NTS and the Health Care Inspectorate carry out regular audits and inspections of BIS's work and the safety aspects of it at fixed times.
The BIS annual accounts are audited by health insurance companies and the Ministry of Health (VWS) as well as by an independent auditor. After publication the annual report is posted on the BIS website, from where it can be downloaded.
How are the budget and the prices charged for our services decided?
No other organisations have a financial stake in BIS and indeed BIS has no stake or shares in any other organisation.
The rates charged to cover the costs of tissue allocation and distribution services offered internationally by BIS are decided by the body responsible for setting rates within the healthcare system (CTG). In turn, the CTG is accountable to the Ministry of Health (VWS).
A frequent criticism levelled against BIS is that the rates charged are excessive. A direct comparison with similar organisations in other countries is impossible. University institutes where tissue banks are based use staff and other resources without this being fully reflected in the cost price of tissue transplants, while BIS Foundation has to cover the costs of the 24-hour service provided by its own staff and resources from the cost price it charges for tissue.The terms and conditions of employment at BIS are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Hospitals. Each year the BIS budget includes a small amount for scientific research.
How reliable is the work carried out by BIS?
The allocation of transplants is always carried out under the supervision of a physician, as is also the case with our affiliated organisation Eurotransplant. The rules governing allocation, approved by the board, are laid down in selection systems operated on computer by staff trained as paramedics.
The medical director regularly reports to the various advisory committees, the board and the NTS. The NTS then reports to the Ministry of Health (VWS). Any changes made to the criteria governing allocation or safety are made on the basis of advanced scientific knowledge relating to transplant survival, the safety of transplants or the need to ensure that transplants available are allocated fairly.
What criteria does BIS apply in its work with international tissue banks?
BIS is a Tissue Establishment as defined in the Quality and Safety of the Human Body Materials Act (WVKL). The WVKL is based on the European Directive EU/23/2004, enforceable in all member states as of April 2006. The relationship between BIS, as an institution involved with human tissue, and the tissue banks, is founded on this European Directive.
BIS is certified according to the ISO 9001:2000 system. We demand that any organisations we work with have a quality assurance system that reflects our criteria.
As a Tissue Institution what has BIS to offer in terms of added value?
The added value BIS offers lies in its existing network and database, built up over more than 15 years, which enables tissue transplants to be made available effectively to surgeons for implantation into their patients. The extensive databank at the disposal of the BIS medical staff is vital for assessing the suitability and safety of donors and matching transplants with patients. It can be used to generate statistics to highlight the factors that influence the quality of BIS's work. This gives BIS the edge over many other similar organisations. In addition anyone can apply to BIS with a question about statistical data.
