Hospitals and health systems should more formally integrate supply chain operations into emergency preparedness as disruptions continue to expose vulnerabilities in product availability and response processes, according to a September field insights brief from the American Hospital Association.
The brief drew on discussions held in March, May and June 2026 with supply chain leaders, group purchasing organizations, distributors, public health officials, emergency management professionals and other stakeholders.
Here are six opportunities identified in the report:
- Define emergency thresholds and improve visibility. Hospitals should track core data, including days on hand, distributor stock levels and manufacturer capacity.
- Give supply chain a formal role in emergency response. The report recommends establishing a dedicated supply chain point of contact within incident command and conducting supply disruption tabletop exercises.
- Account for structural and geographic vulnerabilities. Health systems should map logistics pathways for critical products and consider geographic and disaster risks in sourcing decisions.
- Build shared resources. Strategies include creating a dashboard for critical products and developing clinically endorsed substitution lists before shortages occur.
- Strengthen post-event planning. Organizations should establish mutual aid agreements and coordinated distribution protocols before emergencies and conduct structured after-action reviews.
- Measure stabilization and workforce impact. Hospitals should monitor staffing, supply and patient volume over time rather than relying solely on a return to “normal” as the benchmark for recovery.
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