Low-priced foreign masks have driven some U.S. manufacturers out of business, The New York Times reported March 5.

Supply chain leaders have been navigating through supply constraints and obstacles since 2020. And it is clear the healthcare industry will require new ways of inventory management to stay ahead of these challenges.

Hospitals nationwide are facing a shortage of common saline products because of supply chain bottlenecks and a large spike in demand amid the omicron surge, Bloomberg reported March 4.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response should enhance the management of the nation's Strategic National Stockpile, a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine suggests. 

Developers are pursuing rapid flu and strep-throat diagnostic products as the pandemic raised consumers' comfort level with monitoring their own health, The Wall Street Journal reported March 3.

Ten health systems have posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week: 

The impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on global supply chain operations will likely depend on sanctions applied by the West and retaliation from Russia, according to a new report from Premier. 

Two Florida men were arrested on charges that alleged they illegally bought and sold prescriptions for durable medical equipment and used those prescriptions to file fraudulent Medicare claims for more than $11 million, the U.S. Justice Department said March 1.

The FDA issued warnings against using three at-home COVID-19 tests that have not been authorized by the agency over the risk of false results. 

Several widely used rapid antigen at-home COVID-19 tests are effective at detecting omicron, according to preliminary research published Feb. 28 in MedRxiv. 

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and supply challenges have shown the need for contingency stock plans that allow you to continue delivering quality patient care while navigating inventory crises. This involves the three following components:

While a record-breaking 41,354 organ transplants were performed in the U.S. last year, the nation's current organ transplantation system is inequitable, and more can be done to boost that number, according to a report published Feb. 25 from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. 

A former medical supply company owner in Virginia Beach, Va., has been sentenced to 51 months in prison in connection with a multimillion dollar healthcare fraud scheme, the U.S. Justice Department said Feb. 24.

Arrow International recalled over 24,000 percutaneous thrombolytic devices due to risk of tip damage during use, which could result in tip detachment from the basket.

The Biden administration released long-term actions it plans to take to boost supply chain resiliency Feb. 24. 

Ten health systems have posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week: 

The FDA released a list of 17 rapid COVID-19 at-home tests Feb. 22 that are authorized by the agency.

Medtronic and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy are partnering to provide endoscopy centers in underserved communities with AI-assisted colonoscopy tools to allow better access to colon cancer screenings.

McKesson ranked seventh on Fortune's annual list of the 500 most profitable U.S. companies in 2020, making it the top-ranked medical distributor. 

More than 60 supply chain experts from 34 organizations gathered for the Health Industry Distributors Association’s Supply Chain Visibility Conference to discuss best practices learned from the pandemic.