By Todd Ebert
GPOs leverage their unique position in the supply chain to ensure healthcare providers have what they need in emergencies.
As incidents of Zika are reported with increasing frequency throughout the United States, healthcare providers are urgently working to get ahead of the mosquito-spread virus that is leading to birth defects. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with some states and cities, has issued guidance for responding to the epidemic, hospitals are still faced with tactical and logistical hurdles – from obtaining necessary supplies to educating practitioners on proper response procedures.
Healthcare group purchasing organizations can play an important role in emergency situations such as the spread of Zika. Although most commonly associated with the cost savings and efficiencies that they deliver to hospitals and non-acute care centers, GPOs are also the sourcing and supply chain partners to those providers. GPOs leverage their unique position in the supply chain to ensure healthcare providers have what they need in emergencies.
When Superstorm Sandy struck in 2012, for example, GPOs used their regional relationships and national reach to track resources around the country through manufacturer, distribution, and customer channels. Hospitals along the East Coast were in need of emergency materials ranging from generators to flashlights to food, and due to unprecedented weather – in addition to infrastructure issues and product shortages – the delivery of such materials was far from guaranteed. GPOs were able to work with manufacturers to identify a supply of such resources and, when necessary, ration their distribution. And tapping into their network of member providers, GPOs were also able to identify hospitals with an excess of beds and other primary care materials, and arrange transfers to hospitals experiencing a surge in patients.
When the Ebola crisis peaked in 2014, GPOs were on the front lines of integrating personal protective equipment, or PPE, into their member providers’ response efforts. With the CDC altering their baseline protection recommendations following the infection of two hospital caregivers, GPOs took on the essential role of ensuring hospitals were kept up to speed with the evolving PPE standards – and had the required supplies to comply.
Many Healthcare Supply Chain Association (HSCA) member GPOs worked to map the CDC’s revised PPE recommendations to contracted vendors and specific products, giving hospitals an up-to-date product resource in compliance with CDC guidelines. And more than simply providing PPE guidelines, GPOs made sure their member hospitals were prepared to carry them out. GPOs sponsored nationally broadcast training sessions and even worked with relevant vendors to educate them on the role of receiving hospitals battling the health crisis.
To make sure PPE made it to the affected hospitals, many GPOs established an Ebola supply command center, through which they tracked supply issues and identified alternative product sources in anticipation of demand for certain emergency equipment exceeding traditional distribution channel capacity. GPOs also established networks within their member hospitals dedicated to facilitating the transfer of emergency supplies to hospitals on the frontlines of Ebola.
When emergencies strike, GPOs take action to help increase hospital and healthcare provider preparedness. To specifically respond to hospital needs, HSCA member GPOs take steps ranging from increasing communication with members and suppliers to identify product availability and potential shortages, to collaborating with government agencies at the federal, state, and municipal levels. To help address the broader public threat of emergencies such as Ebola, GPOs create centralized response systems, conduct full-scale exercises of emergency management programs, and serve as a clearinghouse of product information, educational programs, and treatment protocols.
GPOs take their role as the sourcing and purchasing partners to virtually all America’s hospitals seriously – that is never more important or apparent than during times of emergency. Weather-related situations like Superstorm Sandy and health epidemics such as Ebola help illustrate the necessity of organizations with a birds-eye view of the entire supply chain and its many moving pieces. As the Zika crisis and response continues to unfold in the U.S., GPOs will be doing all they can to ensure hospitals and staff are prepared to treat patients safely and effectively.
Todd Ebert, R.Ph., is president and CEO of the Healthcare Supply Chain Association (HSCA).
Some GPOs are stepping up valiantly — accepting the responsibility to manage and respond to crises like the Zika virus or Superstorm Sandy. Most notably, in my observation, Premier has stepped up to such responsibilities. Leveraging the power network held by each of these GPO organizations increases our country’s resilience and agility when these emerging crises arise.
Innovative technology also plays a role. Whether it is creating an entirely new healthcare network or simple, tech-enabled communication, technology is key. The change associated with embracing such technologies is, and may continue to be, the challenge.