By Mark Ambrogi
For Charles Miraglia, this was the perfect fit given his experiences.
Miraglia, M.D. has been named the new president and CEO of Indiana Blood Center.
“It’s the best of all worlds for me,” said Miraglia, who has been on the center’s board for 17 years and took over the new position Oct. 19.
“I love what the Blood Center represents, and what they do, and I want to play a more active role, more than being a board member, in day-to-day to help it change in ways that will make it better, stronger, and better partner in the health care process.”
The Blood Center is part of Versiti, the state’s largest blood provider, serving hospitals throughout Indiana and the Midwest. Miraglia has lived in Indiana for 20 years, living the past 18 in Carmel. Miraglia, 58, was approved by the nonprofit’s board of directors to replace Dan A. Waxman, M.D. who has served as interim president and CEO since January. Dr. Waxman will remain as chief medical officer.
“I’m a transfusion medicine specialist by training,” Miraglia said. “I bring to the board both my experience as a transfusion medicine specialist and leadership roles in a number of roles in my career. I look forward to helping the Blood Center move forward given all the changes that are occurring in health care. We’re going into a transformation from fee-for-services type environment to a more value-based health care. I think the Blood Center is going to play a key role in continuing to bring quality and value to patients through our products and services.”
Miraglia most recently was the chief medical officer of hc1.com, a global health care relationship management cloud company headquartered in Indianapolis.
“Part of the challenges that health care faces and part of the way we’re going to move forward is through technology,” Miraglia said. “I think hc1 and that type of technology and the cloud is going to allow us to do a lot more with the data, get it to the right people and places at the right time to help more with wellness and identifying chronic illnesses early.”
Miraglia said the last five years there has been a slow decline in the transfusion of blood.
“A lot of that is good because they are using evidence-based medicine to determine the right amount of blood or blood products to be transfused in given situations, “ Miraglia said. “Some of it comes with research and experience. We are getting good outcomes with less blood.
“But we always will need blood, it’s having the right amounts and the right types and in the right places when we need it is going to be the biggest challenges to keep the donor base going in the way we have enough blood for everyone who needs it, nationally and our concern is here in Indiana, of course.”
