The end of a calendar year is filled with projections and forecasts across industries for the coming year. At the time of this writing, supply disruptions and cost pressures are predicted well into 2022. Just as the global pandemic disrupted the lives of people across the world, so too has a never-before-seen impact been levied on the supply chains that sustain so many economies.
Regardless of the industry, supply chains compete for many of the same natural and logistical resources. The disruption is widespread, the reasons are many, and the implications are so interconnected that it’s difficult to find an area of the economy that has not been impacted by issues such as labor shortages, manufacturers challenged with access to adequate material resources to make products, and cargo ships waiting to offload for a variety of reasons, including the inability for trucking and rail to keep up.
In an effort to help mitigate potential risks to the healthcare supply chain that serves HealthTrust members, I’ve been asked to lead an internal supply disruption task force. You may recall the organization’s efforts at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to assist members in locating much-needed, quality personal protective equipment (PPE). During that time, our Alternative Approaches workgroup provided clinical support in evaluating the feasibility of innovative products, clinical resource documents and summaries of federal guidance on alternative practices such as PPE decontamination, then sharing that information via the HealthTrust public education site. We are taking a similar approach to supply chain disruption communications as well.
HealthTrust’s committed membership, our member advisory boards and account management relationships continue to provide a critical channel of communication that enables us to act quickly and responsibly during early signs of supply disruption.
As we continue to labor over all aspects predicated by the new normal of “doing” both life and business, know that HealthTrust remains committed to providing members insight into:
- Category disruptions, including reasons for and potential timelines to recovery
- Alternative product options—both traditional alternatives and the feasibility of innovative products to solve a given challenge
- Clinical education and guidance, including conservation and alternative approaches
We look forward to continuing to serve you. In the meantime, be well.
To find out if HealthTrust has due diligence related to a new product or a non-contracted supplier, email HPG1.AdministrationCOVID19Triage@healthtrustpg.com. If your facility or health system has a need for COVID-related evidence or support, reach out to HealthTrust’s Clinical Services team at clinical.research@healthtrustpg.com
John Young, M.D., MBA, FACHE
Chief Medical Officer, HealthTrust
Executive Publisher & Editor-at-large, The Source magazine
