Supply Chain
The ideal prescription for hospitals wanting to reduce their pharmaceutical costs could be tighter controls and staying on top of shortages.
More than 80 percent of hospitals in the U.S. expect to be engaging in sustainability purchasing within two years, according to a recent survey. For the hospitals that expect to jump on the green bandwagon, there's a lot to learn.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recent 10-year projection of national health expenditures includes retail spending on prescription drugs, but a more complete picture of pharma spending would include the nonretail segment.
Are hospitals exploiting the 340B drug discount program? Critics of the federal government's program have some new evidence in the debate over healthcare subsidies.
Attitudes toward healthcare financing have been fairly conservative ever since the general economy collapsed with the stock market in 2008.
Hospitals and health systems try their best to anticipate and meet the demand for specific drugs. But drug shortages - whether due to outbreaks of specific illnesses or unanticipated supply bottlenecks - are a fact of life in the medical world.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will sponsor the advanced development of a next-generation portable ventilator to help fill the need for portable, low-cost, user-friendly and flexible ventilators in a pandemic or other public health emergency.
New research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Premier, Inc., concludes that the inappropriate use of antibiotics in U.S. hospitals could result in an estimated $163 million in excessive costs.
The 340B program is critical for hospitals and other providers that serve some of our country's poorest and most vulnerable patients. When providers monitor compliance and track 340B drugs properly, the program can fulfill its intended purpose.
The drought in California has everyone concerned that food prices will skyrocket, but so far, the impact of the severe weather has been low for most hospitals, and where felt, strategies have been implemented to minimize the damage.