Supply Chain

Nursing homes and small providers are still struggling to obtain enough personal protective equipment to protect workers against COVID-19, according to an investigation by Kaiser Health News. 

HHS is "woefully" behind in stocking gloves for the strategic national stockpile, and the stockpile is dangerously low on gloves needed to protect healthcare workers from contracting COVID-19, Mary Denigan-Macauley, the Government Accountability Office’s director of healthcare, told NBC News.

Health systems across America are working toward total transportation management, where all freight spend is managed via a single, centralized system and data analytics drive new efficiencies and cost savings.

The COVID-19 crisis will have long-term effects on the healthcare delivery system. Many interim solutions ultimately may become part of the new normal for hospital business models.

Three Michigan health systems have unveiled a shared $48 million laundry facility to ensure patients and providers have adequate supplies of clean gowns, bed linen and more, the health systems said Oct. 28. 

Baxter International issued an urgent device correction Oct. 29 related to all of its Spectrum infusion pumps. The devicemaker said that deviations from specific cleaning methods may impair the pumps' functionality and performance. 

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

United Airlines plans to require preflight COVID-19 testing next month for certain flights to see whether testing increases demand for flights, CNBC reported. 

Thermo Fisher Scientific, LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics all reported strong third-quarter results boosted by increased demand for COVID-19 testing. 

The U.S. needs to overhaul its medical supply chains and reduce its dependence on foreign countries, bipartisan lawmakers told The Hill during a virtual event.