Supply Chain

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

Wausau, Wis.-based Aspirus Health said Oct. 27 it is taking several steps to make sure current global supply chain disruptions don't affect patients' quality of care. 

Premier and Resilinc said Oct. 26 they have partnered to boost visibility into the healthcare supply chain and help health systems avoid disruptions to their supply chain. 

The U.S. government has announced a number of deals and investments in the last month to boost domestic COVID-19 test manufacturing and increase the country's supply of rapid, at-home tests to combat the pandemic. 

Health officials in Utah are urging the public to donate metal crutches, wheelchairs, walkers and canes amid an aluminum shortage that has depleted hospitals of their supply of mobility-assist equipment, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. 

The National Institutes of Health said Oct. 25 it is investing $70 million to bring more at-home COVID-19 tests to market. 

A CNN investigation released Oct. 25 found that tens of millions of fake, secondhand nitrile gloves have been imported to the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Most health systems are aware that achieving supply chain excellence results in positive implications for their facility. While the outcome of supply chain optimization is clear, the process of achieving it can often be vague.

Medline, the largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies in the U.S., has made a number of strategic investments and deals this year. Here are six, as reported by Becker's Hospital Review: 

HHS said Oct. 22 it has invested more than half a billion dollars to boost manufacturing of supplies needed to increase domestic COVID-19 testing.