Supply chain disruptions aren't expected to ease for a while, and ASC leaders have been facing obstacles to securing supplies since early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are three supply chain issues on the top of mind for ASC executives:
1. Back-ordering medication
Amid supply disruptions, some ASCs are scrambling to refill stock of supplies, medications and other imported goods.
"Some of my top challenges include the back-ordering of supplies/medications," Deborah Goodman, RN, clinical director of Great Lakes Surgical Suites in Munster, Ind., told Becker's, "and keeping up with the latest COVID-19 issues or other emerging infectious diseases."
2. Stocking struggles:
Other ASCs are having issues keeping non-medical supplies on their shelves.
"It's often a struggle to stock up on the most random and banal supplies imaginable" Alfonso del Granado, administrator and CEO at Lubbock, Texas-based Covenant High Plains Surgery Center, told Becker's. "Every week we notice something going on allocation or back order and have to scramble to find alternatives or third-party vendors at a premium"
3. Cost increases:
Supply costs are also increasing amid a 40-year inflation apex.
"Due to the increase in costs on so many supplies, I spend a lot of time trying to identify waste and cost savings," Helena Levenson, senior clinical consultant of ambulatory surgery at Cardinal Health, told Becker's. "I can help facilities make more cost-effective custom packs or, if they are currently using them, identify waste in the packs or products we can add to the packs to make them more effective and efficient."