Major Challenges Facing The Healthcare Supply Chain

According to a study, the majority of inventory decisions made to react to disruption are suboptimal, and almost half are unneeded.

Fremont, CA: COVID-19 has shown systemic flaws in the healthcare system, most notably a recurrent problem with the capacity & resilience of the medical supply chain network. Since the pandemic, 59-83 percent of organizations have experienced delays or increased lead times in getting supplies. To weather the demand swings and disruptions, 81 percent of these firms modified their stockpiles, with the majority raising inventory levels.

Several key risk concerns or underlying issues for healthcare supply networks have emerged:

Lack of resilience 

COVID-19 highlighted the need for improved supply chain robustness. IDC underlines the need for healthcare organizations being more adaptable to changing pandemic conditions while preparing for the "new normal" post-pandemic. Of course, preventing supply chain interruptions in healthcare has serious implications for the bottom line and patient care. Perhaps this is why, according to a recent poll, supply chain disruptions are becoming the second-highest issue for healthcare CEOs, after only patient safety.