While most hospitals are seeing greater availability of many types of personal protective equipment (PPE), the healthcare supply chain remains fragile and constrained, according to a new report from Premier as reported in a news release.
Massive increases in global PPE demand created an imbalance in the supply chain and have driven up raw materials prices, which impacts the cost of finished goods. This has cascaded to providers who have incurred additional costs to acquire PPE, adding to existing margin pressures.
Among the findings, Premier found that the average health system member has:
· About 200 days of N95 respirators on hand, even though N95 usage nearly quadrupled between April and December of 2020. This greater on-hand availability is due, in part, both to health systems’ supply conservation measures as well as stockpiling efforts during periods of case decline.
· About 40 days of isolation gowns on hand, even usage of gowns has roughly doubled since June 2020.
· Fewer than 30 days of gloves on hand.
