Red Cross declares national blood crisis; Tackling medical supply shortages; plus Jobs!

January 21, 2022

Hello NAW Subscribers -

I hope you enjoy this issue of National Accounts Weekly!

Sincerely,

John Pritchard

President of ANAE

Publisher of The Journal of Healthcare Contracting

California, and the nation, experiencing “most severe” blood shortage in past 10 years

According to Los Angeles-based KTLA, officials in California are warning that the state is experiencing its most severe blood shortage in a decade.

“While the need for blood is constant, California, along with the rest of the nation, is experiencing the most severe blood shortage in the last ten years,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said.

Last week, the American Red Cross declared the first-ever national blood crisis in the U.S.

Tackling supply shortages

Supply chain leaders discuss how their organizations are navigating the backlogs, delays and disruptions.

The Journal of Healthcare Contracting recently surveyed four supply chain leaders about the challenges of operating a supply chain in the healthcare industry during a Covid surge, including: Amanda Chawla, VP and Chief Supply Chain Officer of Stanford Health Care; Steve Faup, Divisional Director, Supply Chain of Capital Health; George Godfrey, Corporate VP and Chief Supply Chain Officer of Baptist Health; Erik Walerius, Chief Supply Chain Officer of UW Medicine.

Free N95 masks to be distributed at pharmacies, community health centers nationwide

The White House announced plans to make 400 million N95 masks available for free at pharmacies and community health centers across the U.S. amid the surge of the Omicron variant. The nonsurgical N95 masks will be available late next week with the program fully running by early February. The masks will be sourced from the Strategic National Stockpile. Most of the pharmacies that are part of the federal pharmacy vaccine program will distribute the masks.

Private insurers must cover cost of at-home COVID-19 tests

Private insurers will have to cover up to eight rapid over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 tests per month per individual covered. Consumers with private insurance will be able to obtain the tests without any cost sharing like deductibles, coinsurance or copayments. Insurers are encouraged to set up partnerships with retailers and pharmacies so individuals covered can get free OTC tests directly without paying anything upfront or having to submit a claim for reimbursement.

Hospitals, nursing homes fear losing workers over vaccine mandate in healthcare

Hospitals and nursing homes fear losing workers but would require COVID-19 vaccinations for employees after the Supreme Court allowed federal officials to mandate the shots in healthcare facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid. Healthcare officials have asked for enforcement leniency to prevent staffing losses during the Omicron variant crunch on health systems.

MedPro hires Mike Otten as Director of National Accounts

MedPro Associates has hired industry veteran Mike Otten to serve as Director of National Accounts.

Otten comes to MedPro with vast experience in medical sales and distribution, with the primary goal of his new role being enhanced coordination and increased sales on behalf MedPro’s manufacturer partners sold through distribution.

Owens & Minor signs agreement to acquire Apria for $1.45B

Owens & Minor and Apria announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Owens & Minor will acquire Apria for $37.50 in cash per share of common stock, representing an equity value of approximately $1.45 billion.

According to Owens & Minor, this deal:

Strengthens total company value proposition, enables Owens & Minor to better serve the entire patient journey and positions Owens & Minor as a leader in the home healthcare market. The transaction builds upon Owens & Minor’s strong capabilities in product manufacturing and healthcare services.
Accelerates growth and diversifies revenue base by expanding Owens & Minor’s presence in the higher-growth home healthcare market.
Plus More

PODCAST: How Ansell Is Staying Future Ready To Meet Growing Healthcare Supply Demand

Ansell’s Angie Phillips sat down with John Pritchard, Publisher at The Journal of Healthcare Contracting, to discuss the importance of being FUTURE READY as a global leader in safety solutions manufacturing.

During this informative conversation, insights were shared on the contributing factors to the supply disruption of surgical gloves and other PPE from an industry expert’s perspective. The conversation also covers timelines for recovery and the capacity improvements Ansell has initiated to meet the current and future demands of the growing healthcare industry.

Click Here to learn more about Ansell's FUTURE READY capacity to meet supply demand.

Listen to the Podcast Here

Half of internet-connected devices in hospitals are vulnerable to hacks

According The Verge, half of internet-connected devices in hospitals have a vulnerability that puts patient safety, confidential data, and the utility of the device itself in jeopardy. This comes from a report from the healthcare cybersecurity company Cynerio, which analyzed data from over 10 million devices at over 300 hospitals and health care facilities globally, collected through connectors attached to the devices as part of its security platform.

PINC AI launches INsights on-demand platform

PINC AI™, the technology and services platform of Premier, Inc., launched INsights, an enhanced self-service healthcare solution for the creation of customized, on-demand analytics.

INsights is a vendor-agnostic analytics platform that accesses PINC AI’s cleansed, standardized, and risk-adjusted healthcare data, covering more than 45% of all U.S. hospital inpatient discharges. INsights users can leverage pre-developed analytics developed by PINC AI, as well as conduct customized data queries and visualizations using PINC AI or their own data sources. The platform will also serve as a development community, where users can crowdsource and share information, measures, queries and more with others.

Thousands of remote-operated forklifts aim to expand pool of workers for freight operators

Freight operators ArcBest (Fort Smith, AR) and NFI Industries (Camden, NJ) have led a $42 million investment in Phantom Auto Inc.’s (South San Francisco, CA) remote vehicle operation software to deploy thousands of remote-enabled forklifts during the next few years. The technology allows off-site operators to operate equipment using video and audio streams. This permits workers in other regions to switch between forklifts in different locations on demand. The goal is to add capacity by having people work remotely and help recruiting.

The Journal of Healthcare Contracting's Future Supply Chain Leaders

Who’s going to shape the future of the healthcare supply chain? The smart, energetic and creative young people who work for you and with you. The under-40 crowd.

Help the editors of The Journal of Healthcare Contracting spotlight some of these up-and-comers in an upcoming feature: “Future Supply Chain Leaders of 2022.” If you know someone under 40 from the provider side who has the energy, dedication and courage to shape tomorrow’s healthcare supply chain, please let us know.

Send Your Nominations