Alere, a medical device company acquired by Abbott in 2017, has agreed to pay $38.75 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly billed Medicare for defective testing devices, the U.S. Justice Department said July 8. 

Puritan Medical Products, one of the world's two major producers of COVID-19 testing swabs, is extending a furlough of 180 employees as demand for the tests falls, the Bangor Daily News reported July 8.  

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

Quidel is recalling its Lyra COVID-19 test because of a "significant" risk of false negative results in people infected with high amounts of the virus, the FDA said July 7.

Surmodics, an Eden Prairie, Minn.-based devicemaker, has acquired devicemaker Vetex Medical for $39.9 million, the companies announced July 6. 

U.S. hospitals are being forced to postpone surgeries in the face of a national blood shortage, CBS News reported July 6. 

Health care supply chains have the potential to become true strategic assets for their organizations. With the right people, processes and technology, supply chain can play a pivotal role in clinical operations and ultimately, impact patient outcomes.

HHS has updated its list of medical supplies and equipment protected from hoarding under an executive order issued in February, according to a July 6 news release. 

Hospitals across New York now have large stockpiles of personal protective equipment, thanks to a combination of state policy, market forces and timing, The Wall Street Journal reported July 1. 

The FDA said June 30 it is revoking emergency use authorizations for all face masks not approved by the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, as well as decontamination systems used to reuse masks. 

Hospitals across Utah may have to delay some elective surgeries because they're unsure whether they'll have enough blood, The Salt Lake Tribune reported June 30. 

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

The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint June 30 against an online marketer for allegedly falsely promising it could quickly deliver face masks and other personal protective equipment, then later failing to deliver customer orders. It also is accused of not offering cancellations and refunds. 

The stocks of critical medical supplies in the Strategic National Stockpile are still well below federal targets more than 18 months after the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to HHS data reviewed by Politico. 

The global pandemic exposed the need for health systems to reevaluate their supply chains, placing an exceptional strain on healthcare transportation logistics.

The American Hospital Association said June 29 it is launching a campaign to combat critical shortages of blood supplies at hospitals across the country and to create a steady supply of long-term blood donations. 

Teleflex has sold a significant portion of its respiratory device business to Medline for $286 million in cash, the company said June 28. 

Almost 1,000 boxes storing gloves, masks and other personal protective equipment were stored outside under a tarp for months at New York City-based New York State Veterans' Home at St. Albans, reports The City.

COVID-19 cast a spotlight on the extraordinary work of healthcare supply chain professionals. At the same time, however, the crisis has magnified existing operational weaknesses and underscored the importance of organizational resilience.

Four partnerships and deals made by medical supply companies, as reported by Becker's Hospital Review since May: