Compare Cord Blood Banking Companies: 5 Things to Look For

Compare Cord Blood Banking Companies: 5 Things to Look For: 
It's easy to compare cord blood banking companies because the top tier companies use the same vendors, couriers and labs. They are in fact charging different sums of money for the exact same services.

To be more specific, the top tier companies all use the same collection kit components; courier service; processing technique; and many share the same processing laboratories. Additionally, they are of course also using the same healthcare provider to extract the cord blood, since the parents have chosen who is going to deliver their baby.

So that there is no confusion, let's now review each of the key components individually. This will give an in depth ability to compare companies:

1) Cord Blood Banking collection kit a. The critical part of a collection kit is the collection bag. Most of the best companies use heparin free preservatives to maximize stem cell viability. b. Most of the best companies use a gravity method to collect the cord blood. By this, it is meant that the umbilical blood is allowed to drain into the collection bag using simple gravity. Initially it was thought that using a syringe to pull the blood out of the placenta would collect more Cord Blood. However, because the umbilical veins collapse when the syringe plunger offers too much suction, this method has been abandoned by most of the collection companies.

2) Courier service a. The key to preserving stem cell quality is time and temperature. It is best to get the cord blood to the processing laboratory as quickly as possible, and maintained as close as possible to room temperature. This is why all of the top tier companies use overnight couriers that specialize in tissue transport. As it stands, there are only a couple of companies with a national delivery system that have this expertise. This is why all of the best companies use the same courier. None of the high quality companies use package delivery services like UPS or FedEx as they are not geared towards tissue delivery. Most of the top tier companies use AirNet.

3) Processing laboratory a. All of the companies use the same processing techniques. What some companies don't want parents to know is that many use the same laboratories. Some companies make frequent false claims of their "special techniques" and "guaranteed cell viability". Yet, most of the excellent companies use the same labs. Each has a right to brag. The labs do a great job. However, no one has the right to claim special knowledge or special techniques as the samples are treated in an identical manner.

4) Company Stability Since a baby's stem cells may be stored for a lifetime, it is important to know that the company chosen is stable. It would be fair to say that each of the top tier companies appear to be in good financial shape. A few companies own their own labs, while most do not. The companies that own their own labs feel it is a sign of strength. Those that do not own their own lab, feel this strategy offers extra protection because two different companies would have to go out of business for any trouble to ensue.(Cord Blood Banking)

5) Price a. It should be very easy to know how much money it will cost to store a new born's Cord Blood Banking. Unfortunately, this can be a very frustrating endeavor. Because many of the top tier companies need to collect high fees to support their expensive sales forces and constant advertising, they add hidden fees that are an unhappy surprise to many families. The most common extra fee occurs when a parent receives the doctor's bill. It is almost always more than the Cord Blood Banking company is willing to pay. Other times, they will add extra charges for standard courier services, last minute contracts and after hours telephone calls.

A lot of confusing information is purposefully disseminated by companies that overcharge. When parents realize that they do not have to pay extra to get the very best science and industry have to offer, they will realize it was worth their time to compare cord blood banking companies.

Stork Medical is a top provider of Cord Blood Banking Services across the US. They have been honored twice by the US Congress - the only Cord Blood Banking to be so honored. Run by a physician, they offer a free comparison chart to enable parents to compare cord blood banking companies. Visit them at Stork Medical
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