The healthcare industry is still grappling with supply disruptions, and experts predict these challenges will persist in 2025, according to the American Hospital Association's 2025 Environmental Scan report.
Here are four key insights from the report:
- Healthcare providers are bracing for continued disruptions, with 80% expecting supply chain challenges to worsen or remain the same in 2025. The effects of the disruptions are already severe, with 39% of providers reporting they had to cancel or reschedule procedures at least quarterly due to product shortages.
- On average, supply shortages are increasing the cost of providing care by $3.5 million per year for a medium-size health system. This trend is expected to continue, as ongoing inflation and rising labor and product costs remain significant financial challenges for providers and suppliers.
- Supply chain leaders have identified some of the key clinical areas in whichshortages are more pronounced with surgery and anesthesia (74%), emergency care (64%) and pain management (52%) making up the top three.
- Healthcare providers are adopting strategies to improve supply chain resiliency, with 62% focusing on stock-keeping unit rationalization and 54% focusing on enhancing supplier performance key performance indicators. Many are also turning to technology such as AI and blockchain to track supply availability.