As innovative hospitals and health system leaders have committed their organizations to quality improvement and cost reduction efforts in recent years, the healthcare supply chain has emerged as a prime target for efficiency improvement.

The Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston will consolidate its sterilization and supply chain department into a single facility, reports The Post and Courier.

West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health has donated 10,000 pounds of medical equipment and supplies to help impoverished countries, according to a KWWL news report.

As surgical pack costs rise year after year, clinical and administrative leaders often feel they are losing control over pricing measures that are opaque and confusing.

With direct shipments coming from hundreds of manufacturers – adding up to thousands of individual shipments arriving in multiple deliveries – it’s difficult for hospitals to achieve total supply chain visibility.

Blockchain continues to slowly move into the healthcare sphere. However, the technology is rapidly being used in the financial and trading industries.

Four drugs or medical devices approved by the FDA since Feb. 15:

Supplies of BCG, a critical immunotherapy drug that treats bladder cancer, are dwindling, according to a STAT news report.

Blood supply in the state of Washington has reached a critically low level after a string of recent snowstorms, according to a KING-TV news report.

Including all your transportation costs in your freight management program will help complete visibility and allow you to better control costs. There can be inconsistent pricing and hidden soft costs with freight services like courier and private fleet. Taking a deep dive into these services can reveal synergies cost savings opportunities.

By maximizing the capabilities of supply chain resources, hospitals and health systems are better positioned to advance the quality of care, while containing costs. To make the most of your supply chain’s strategic potential, start by focusing on these three areas of opportunity.

Four drugs or medical devices approved by the FDA since Feb. 8:

In the last few years, thousands of patients have been notified that they received potentially compromised vaccines because they had been stored improperly, a Kaiser Health News report reveals.

Several big-name health systems in the U.S. made the Global Health Exchange's annual list of 50 best healthcare supply chains in North America.

The FDA has cleared Current Health's artificial intelligence-enabled wearable for hospital care, the Scottish startup announced Feb. 6.

Software issues continued to drive medical device recalls during the fourth quarter of 2018, according to a recent analysis of U.S. recall data.

The FDA launched a pilot program Feb. 7 that encourages drug supply chain participants to use innovative and emerging approaches to advance prescription drug verification in the U.S.

Proper hand hygiene practices protect both patients and providers from infection, making exam gloves a highly valuable product for health systems to ensure clinician safety.

While traditional freight management programs typically look at inbound and outbound shipping expenses tied to carriers like FedEx and UPS, hospital systems should consider all transportation costs to gain a complete view of freight expenditure.

Four drugs or medical devices approved by the FDA since Feb. 1: