Ten hospitals and health systems posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week:

Almost 20 percent of U.S. counties have no COVID-19 testing sites, affecting more than 7 million people, according to data from nonprofit group Surgo Ventures cited by The Wall Street Journal. 

HCA Healthcare has entered into a joint venture business with a healthcare supply manufacturer called A Plus International to expand access to personal protective equipment by manufacturing surgical masks in the U.S., the Nashville, Tenn.-based system said Jan. 21. 

Health officials around the U.S. are deciding between running testing sites or vaccination sites since they don't have enough staff or funding to run both, The Hill reports. 

The Red Cross is warning that convalescent plasma is now in short supply, CBS News reported. 

Michael Maron, the CEO of Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, N.J., told CNBC Jan. 19 that an inconsistent supply of COVID-19 vaccines is challenging the hospital's vaccine rollout.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted Jan. 15 that the city will run out of COVID-19 vaccines next week if it doesn't receive a larger supply.

The federal government is overseeing meetings between medical supply companies in which the companies will share information on production, distribution and pricing for in-demand medical supplies to boost transparency in the medical supply chain, The Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 15. 

Ten hospitals and health systems posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week:

Labcorp CEO Adam Schechter said on Closing Bell that vaccine recipients are not being advised to be tested for COVID-19 antibodies after immunization, reported CNBC.

Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health has launched its own group purchasing organization, Advantus Health Partners, the system said Jan. 13. 

Abbott is making its BinaxNOW COVID-19 test available to schools, pharmacies, universities and workplaces, CNBC reported Jan. 12.

Many hospitals and health systems overlook one key savings opportunity: reducing the amount spent on inbound and outbound shipments.

In a November 2020 webinar, Paul Farnin of Cardinal Health and Elizabeth Hilla from the Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) discussed best practices for developing strategic, integrated supply chain models that drive significant time and cost savings. They identified 5 key best practices in building a strategic supply chain model:

The FDA sent out an alert Jan. 8 stating that new coronavirus strains may cause false negative results in molecular COVID-19 tests. 

HHS is working to provide an alternative COVID-19 test to Congress after the FDA warned earlier this week that the Curative test it had been using is prone to producing false negatives, Politico reported. 

HHS' partnership with pharmacy chains to provide community-based COVID-19 testing will continue until at least April, as the department gave sites a $550 million funding extension. 

Several states are calling on members of their National Guards to help speed COVID-19 vaccinations, CNBC reported Jan. 8.

Ten hospitals and health systems posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week: