Supply Chain

Software companies SAP and Chronicled have teamed up to deploy a blockchain solution to help pharmaceutical companies comply with the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act, according to a Sept. 3 news release.

The FDA recently ended a program that allowed devicemakers to conceal nearly 6 million reports of device-related harm and malfunctions from the public and physicians. Under the program, the reports were hidden in a database, but they are now accessible…

Hospitals are increasingly recognizing the value of using Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) protocols to improve patient outcomes and decrease adverse events that can trigger financial penalties such as surgical site infections and unwanted readmissions. 

As Hurricane Irma bore down on Florida, officials at Baptist Health South Florida—a health system with 10 acute care in-patient facilities; more than 70 outpatient facilities including urgent care, imaging and surgery center locations; and more than 41 physician offices…

The FDA is recommending that healthcare facilities start using duodenoscopes with disposable components to reduce the risk of patient infection. 

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

During tests conducted with fake patients, medical drones carrying first aid kits arrived 90 to 120 seconds faster than an ambulance in the busy streets of Iraq, according to technology and engineering magazine IEEE Spectrum.

Members of the Association for Health Care Resources & Materials Management have elected four supply chain experts to serve on its board beginning Jan. 1, 2020. 

The FDA may begin using blockchain systems to help drug and medical products reviews and recalls, according to CoinDesk.

The FDA has issued a class 1 recall of the Sapien 3 Ultra transcathether heart valve delivery system after reports of burst balloons during surgery. As of July, one death and 17 injuries had been reported to the devicemaker.